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OLD    FALMOUTH. 


7/4 -<- 

Old    Falmouth 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  TOWN  FROM  THE 
DAYS  OF  THE  KILLIGREWS  TO  THE 
EARLIEST    PART   OF   THE   19TH   CENTURY. 


BY 


SUSAN    E.    GAY. 


1 1  i 


r>,^^ 


Old  Gateivay,  Ar-wenack 


SECOND   IMPRESSION. 


LONDON   : 

HEADLEY   BROTHERS, 

14,    BISHOPSGATE    STREET    WITHOUT,    E.C. 

1903. 

[all  rights  reserved.] 


HEADLKY    BROTHERS, 

PRINTERS, 

LONDON  ;  AND  ASHFORD,   KENT. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


I  have  had  much  pleasure  in  acceding  to  the 
request  of  the  author  of  Old  Falmouth  that  I  would 
write  a  few  introductory  Hnes  for  her  interesting 
volume,  since  I  feel  assured  that  the  book  will 
afford  valuable  assistance  to  all  who  are  inter- 
ested in  the  past  history  as  well  as  the  future 
prospects  of  this  well-known  southern  sea-side 
resort. 

The  carefully  collated  and  admirably  recorded 
information  contained  in  this  work  will  not  only 
invite  readers  among  the  visitors  in  Cornwall,  but 
will,  it  is  hoped,  induce  many,  who  otherwise 
would  remain  in  ignorance  of  the  great  advantages 
possessed  by  Falmouth,  to  seek  here  benefits, 
which  in  some  respects  exceed  those  which  are 


vi.  Introductory. 

still  regarded  as  the  exclusive  property  of  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  obviate  the 
necessitv  of  seeking  abroad  that  which  can  be 
found  at  home. 

Se'l  mondo  laggiu  ponesse  mente 
Al  fondamento  che  natura  pone 
Seguendo  lui  avria  buona  la  gente. 

{Paradise,  Canto  VIII.) 

Those  who  enjoy  historical  research,  alike 
with  others  who  seek  a  genial  winter  climate,  are 
much  indebted  to  Miss  Gay  for  her  charming 
book,  and  it  will  be  well  that  her  suggestions 
regarding  the  expediency  of  preserving  the 
picturesque  appearance  of  the  locality  may  not 
in  its  future  development  be  overlooked. 

J.  Fayrer. 

Falmouth, 

December,  jgoj. 


PREFACE. 


A  FEW  words  as  to  the  origin  of  the  following  pages. 
An  accumulation  of  *'odds  and  ends"  of  informa- 
tion not  generally  known  relating  to  Falmouth  in  former 
days,  led  me  to  place  them  together  in  the  form  of  a 
small  connected  history,  which  might  be  useful  to  all 
who  are  fond  of  the  preservation  of  old  records.  While 
writing  this  I  found  a  mass  of  scattered  information 
among  old  documents,  parochial  histories,  guide-books, 
and  the  parish  registers,  which  seemed  to  me  well  worth 
sorting  out  and  collecting  together.  A  list  of  these 
sources  of  reference  would  be  somewhat  tedious,  and  it 
suffices  to  say  that  the  late  Earl  of  Kimberley  gave  me 
courteous  permission  to  examine  any  old  records  at  the 
Manor-office,  and  that  I  received  kind  assistance  from 
members  of  the  Fox  family,  Mr.  John  D.  Enys,  Mr. 
Thurstan  C.  Peter,  the  Rev.  William  Jago,  and  Mr. 
Armitage,  the  present  Town  Clerk  of  Falmouth.  Also 
that  I  have  examined  works  such  as  Boase  and  Courtney's 
Collectanea  Bibliotheca,  Gilbert's  History  of  Cornwall, 
Parochial  Histories,  Oliver's  Pendennis,  etc. 

In  addition  I  received  letters  and  details  from  mem- 
bers of  families  connected  with  the  old  Packet  Service, 


viii.  Old  Fahnouth. 

which  gave  me  a  few  hitherto  unpublished  items.  The 
entries  in  the  diaries  written  by  Mrs.  Niels  F'alck,  cover- 
ing a  period  dating  from  1778  to  1836  were  unfortun- 
ately far  too  brief  and  disconnected  to  give  me  what  I 
desired, — a  complete  and  connected  picture  of  life  in 
the  palmy  days  of  the  "  Racquets,"  and  I  have  only 
extracted  what  seemed  of  general  interest  in  a  few 
fragments.     No  one  seems  to  have  left  such  a  record. 

The  old  Assembly-room  still  exists,  the  only  testi- 
mony remaining  as  to  the  former  routs  and  gaieties,  for 
otherwise  Flushing  nestles  under  the  hill  as  of  yore,  but 
has  long  become  silent  and  dumb  and  reveals  nothing 
of  its  old  bustle  and  stir. 

Yet  papers  and  letters  must  once  have  been  written 
which  would  possess  a  priceless  charm  if  they  had  only 
been  preserved.  Possibly  removals  were  responsible 
for  the  destruction  of  old  family  papers,  as  they  were 
conducted  at  a  time  when  many  boxes  were  indeed 
itnpcdimcnta,  and  therefore  restricted  to  as  few  in 
number  as  possible. 

For  Falmouth,  though  not  an  ancient  town,  and  desti- 
tute of  antiquities,  has  been  one  of  the  most  interesting 
places  on  our  western  shores.  Here  resided  genera- 
tions of  a  Royalist  family — long  extinct — whose  fortunes 
and  misfortunes  were  singularly  intertwined  with  the 
town  they  founded.  Here  was  fought  out,  with  extra- 
ordinary resolution  and  courage,  almost  the  last  great 
struggle  between  the  troops  of  Charles  I.  and  those 
of  Cromwell  and  the  Parliament.  Here  grew  and 
flourished  the  largest  Packet  establishment  in  any  port 
in  the  kingdom.  Here  part  of  a  fleet  anchored,  and 
men  of  renown  came  and  went.     Brave  Lord  Exmouth 


Preface.  ix. 

sailed  in  and  out  of  our  harbour,  Nelson,  Boscawen, 
Cornwallis,  and  many  another  Admiral  of  fame  and 
name  ;  and  most  of  the  news  of  the  great  victories  of 
the  Nile  and  elsewhere  were  brought  first  of  all — to 
Falmouth. 

Into  our  harbour  came  the  transports  conveying  our 
soldiers  to  the  terrible  scenes  of  the  Peninsular  War, 
and  when  the  work  of  that  dread  time  was  over,  here 
too  sailed  in  the  man-of-war  bearing  Napoleon  to  his 
island  prison  at  St.  Helena. 

Of  Royal  visits  there  have  been  several,  some  con- 
nected with  misfortune, — as  in  the  case  of  the  son  of 
Charles  I.,  the  Prince  of  Wales, — others,  the  later  ones, 
full  of  brightness  and  loyal  welcome.  While  the  Packets 
bore  all  sorts  of  well-known  personages, — among  them 
Byron  and  Disraeli, — to  and  from  places  abroad. 

The  story  of  all  interesting  towns  should  I  think  be 
preserved.  Some  hand,  not  too  busy,  should  record  it, 
so  that  the  history  of  its  events  and  not  only  these,  but 
something  of  those  who  lived  and  died  in  it,  and  were 
the  actors  in  scenes  of  the  past  far  different  from  our 
present  time,  should  be  kept  from  entire  oblivion.  I 
greatly  fear  the  chapter  on  "Old  Falmouthians"  is 
incomplete  ; — it  gave  me  considerable  anxiety, —  but  if 
so  it  has  been  through  a  lack  of  information  which  I 
should  have  wished  to  obtain. 

For  the  Chronology  and  the  lengthy  Appendix  I 
make  no  apology.  They  contain  mainly  merely  historic 
details,  etc.,  such  as  could  not  be  embodied  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapters,  and  a  Chronology  is  always  useful  for 
reference.  In  the  latter  portion  of  it  valuable  help 
has  been  given  to  me  by  Mr.  Wilson  L.  Fox. 


X.  Old  Fabiionth. 

I  am  indebted  to  many  for  illustrations,  some  of 
which  are  now  to  Falmouth  readers,  and  have  referred 
to  those  who  have  so  kindly  aided  me  in  this  matter  in 
the  text.  But  I  greatly  regret  being  unable,  after  many 
efforts,  to  produce  a  portrait  of  Colonel  John  Arundel. 
None  seems  to  exist. 

Additions  and  corrections  will  be  welcome,  and  if 
sufficiently  numerous  will  be  printed  on  a  sheet  which 
can  be  inserted  at  the  end  of  the  book. 

I  should  add  that  this  little  work  is  simply  a 
Collectanea,  and  has  no  greater  pretension. 


S.  E.  G. 


Crill, 

Near  Falmouth, 

December,  igo2. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE. 

Introduction,  by  Sir  Joseph  Fayrer,  Bart.      v. 

Preface     -               -               -  -             vii. 

I.    Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle  -          i 

II.    The   Early  Years  of  Falmouth  -               31 

III.  The   Last  of  the   Killigrews  -  -        48 

IV.  Falmouth   in  the  Eighteenth   Century          67 
V.    Days  of  the  Old   Packet  Service  -      114 

VI.    Old  Falmouthians  -               -  -              145 

Appendix          .               .               .  -      173 

Falmouth  Chronology         -  -             228 

Mayors  of  Falmouth   -               -  -      239 

Rectors  of  Falmouth         -  -             245 

Parliamentary   Elections           -  -      246 

Falmouth  County  Court     -  -             248 

Recorders       .               .               -  -      248 

List  of  Subscribers              -  -             249 

Index               _               _               .  .      254 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 


Sir  Peter  Killigrew      -  .  Frontispiece 

Pendennis  Castle  in  1734     -  -               .            i 

Arwenack  in  1646             -  -                .                  II 

The  Killigrew  Cup               -  -               -          13 

The  Killigrew  Brass,  Budock  Church      -  22 

General  Fairfax     -                -  -               -          25 

Captain  Melvill               -  -               .                 29 

Map  of  Falmouth  Haven      -  -               -          32 

Early  Houses  in  Falmouth  -               -                 37 

Arwenack  as  it  is    -               -  -               -          49 

Admiral  Winchester's  House  -               -                 53 

The  Rev.  Edward  Walmsley  -               -          69 

Bell's  Court    -               -  -               .                85 

The  "  Westmoreland  "  Packet  beating  off 

A  French  Privateer      -  -                -          95 
Remains  of  the  Banqueting  Hall,  Arwenack          hi 

The  "Mercury"  Packet  -               -               115 

Captain  John  Goodridge        -  -               -        121 

Niels  Falck,  Senr.          -  -               -               128 

The  Rogers  Presentation  Sword        -  -        128 

Lord  Exmouth  -               -  -               .               132 


XIU. 


xiv.  List  of  Illustrations. 

Captain  J.  A.  Norway,  R.N.   -                -  i34 

Captains  James  and  John  Bull     -  136 

Captain  William  Kirkness    -               -  -         138 

Caitain  a.  R.  L.  Fassingham,  R.N.  -                138 

Captain  Green,  R.N.               -               -  -        140 

Christopher  Savekland  -               -  -                143 

George  Croker  Fox               -                -  -        149 

Anna  Maria  F'ox               -                -  -                151 

Robert  Were  Fox,  F.R.S.     -                -  -        i53 

Joseph  Fox,  Senior          -                -  -                159 

Mrs.    Elliot              -               -               -  -        163 

The  Kent  Medal             -                -  -                163 

Robert  Richards  Broad        -                -  -        169 

Silver  Vase  presented  to  Captain  Birt  Dyneley      201 
William  Bryce,  Guard   of  the    Falmouth 

Mail  Coach                     -               -  -        212 


Old   Falmouth. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle. 

PRELIMINARY. 

AMONG  the  earliest  recollections  of  my  childhood 
were  visits  to  a  place  I  thought  very  delightful, 
because  it  combined  the  special  charms  of  sea  and 
country.  In  those  days  I  lived  in  a  Midland  city,  in  a 
large  house  at  the  end  of  a  terrace,  where  the  rooms 
were  spacious  and  the  garden  small,  and  which  looked 
out  upon  a  public  road  and  the  gravelled  walk  leading 
to  a  pump-room.  Hence  when  my  parents,  led  by  old 
associations  and  familiar  ties,  took  "  the  children  "  to 
Falmouth,  we  enjoyed  the  rare  freedom  of  frocks 
bedabbled  with  sea-water,  and  little  hands,  embrowned 
by  the  sun,  which  escaped  being  gloved.  Well  do  I 
remember  the  yellow  shells — real  treasures — picked  up 
on  the  beaches  at  the  Bar,  which  no  longer  exist,  and 
the  delightful  pools  left  by  the  receding  tide  !  And 
then  the  strolls  up  the  "  rope- walk,"  a  tree-shadowed 
lane  where  wild  flowers  grew  in  the  hedges,  and  which 
emerged  by  a  curve  into  a  winding  road  above,  where 
more  wild  flowers  were  to  be  found,  and  not  the  ghost 
of  a  house  was  to  be  seen  except  Gylling  Dune.  And 
then,  too,  the  old  walled  garden  in  which  we  played. 


2  Old  Falmouth. 

with  the  httle  pointed  shells  in  the  gravel  paths,  the 
great  box-borders  enclosing  beds  of  Nile  lilies  in  full 
bloom,  the  myrtles,  and  the  mingled  scent  of  flowers, 
and  rope,  and  tar  which  came  in  whiffs  from  the  old 
sheds  near  the  entrance-pillars  to  the  rope-walk,  with 
their  two  great  stone  balls.  That  was  the  Killigrew 
entrance-gate  through  which  members  of  the  family 
long  ago  once  walked  or  drove.  What  a  sweet  little 
world  it  was,  and  how  full  of  charm,  and  many  things 
dear  to  childish  hearts  ! 

In  an  old  building  at  the  top  of  the  garden  there 
was  the  dusty  model  of  a  full-rigged  ship,  cabins,  ropes, 
blocks,  guns,  and  all,  a  grand  spectacle,  but  too  heavy 
to  move  to  the  shore,  and  far  too  big  to  sail  in  a  tub. 
I  pleaded  for  the  beautiful  ship,  but  its  size  again  stood 
in  its  way  and  it  was  sold  with  house  and  garden  and 
disappeared.  Finally  the  garden  itself  vanished  and 
was  built  over,  nothing  remaining  but  a  forlorn  and 
neglected  remnant  which  I  can  no  longer  recognise. 
And  the  little  villa,  once  in  the  country,  and  looking 
out  on  elms  and  fields,  and  hedgerows,  became  more 
than  ever  surrounded  with  bricks  and  mortar,  and  had 
a  forlorn  dilapidated  look  like  one  that  has  known 
better  days  and  regretfully  remembers  them. 

Then  there  was  the  old  Woodlane,  which  ended 
about  halfway  of  its  present  length,  in  grassy  banks 
and  wild  flowers,  no  house  on  the  upper  side  having 
been  built  beyond.  It  had  the  air  of  a  country  walk, 
leading  towards  Swanpool.  Some  of  the  older  resi- 
dents still  dwelt  in  Arwenack  Street,  a  place  of  note  in 
the  earlier  annals  of  P'almouth,  and  looked  out  upon 
the  beautiful  water  of  the  harbour,  undisturbed  as  yet 
by  docks  or  rail.  A  small  coasting  steamer,  the  Sir 
Francis  Drake,  took  from  Plymouth  to  Falmouth, 
passengers,  who  had  the  choice  of  this  or  of  pro- 
ceeding through  Cornwall  by  coach.     The  steamer  was 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  3 

quicker,  but  she  was  an  ill  craft  in  an  easterly  breeze, 
and  I  believe  we  only  took  passage  once,  and  never 
again. 

Among  my  early  memories  are  visits  to  Boslowick, 
nestling  among  orchards,  with  my  mother  and  great- 
aunt  (Miss  Falck),  where  I  remember  Mrs.  James  Bull, 
nee  Tippet,  the  widow  of  the  lawyer, — the  old  lady 
sitting  in  the  pretty  wainscotted  parlour,  with  white 
cap  and  a  black  velvet  ribbon  across  her  forehead, — 
and  to  the  Cottage,  where  the  climbing  roses  attracted 
my  attention,— then  tenanted  by  Mr.  William  Carne 
and  the  Bouldersons.  The  rope-walk  and  its  tarry 
sheds,  and  the  men  with  the  yarn  around  their  waists 
spinning  marvellous  and  endless  cords, — the  obelisk, 
and  the  ponds  at  Grove  Hill, — all  impressed  themselves 
on  my  mind  as  special  marvels  which  Falmouth 
alone  produced.  It  was  all  so  sweet,  homelike,  and 
picturesque  ! 

The  winding  street,  following  the  twists  and  turnings 
of  the  original  lane  which  led  from  Arwenack  Manor  to 
the  Market  Strand,  was  a  kind  of  meeting-place,  where 
folks  exchanged  news  and  sailors  stood  in  groups  at  the 
"little  opes"  running  down  to  the  water's  edge,  with 
their  eyes  blinking  on  the  ships  in  the  harbour.  There 
were  many  stoppages  as  I  held  on  to  my  great-uncle's 
hand  on  the  way  to  the  "  News  Room,"  and  progress 
used  to  be  leisurely  then  for  a  good  many  of  the 
inhabitants.  At  last  one  summer  we  came  down  when 
the  first  train  ran  into  the  new  Falmouth  station,  and  I 
remember  the  engine  decorated  with  evergreens,  and 
conveying  a  group  of  enraptured  gentlemen,  waving 
their  hats,  to  a  banquet  in  the  goods  shed. 

An  excited  Cornishwoman,  followed  by  two  or  three 
others  too  late  for  the  crowd  at  the  station,  fled  along 
the  rope-walk  as  the  whistle  sounded,  exclaiming — 
"  Oh  !  my  dear  !     Come   along   quick  !    the   steamer's 


4  Old  Falmouth. 

a-coming — yes,  sure,  there  she  he  !  " — and  the  httle 
gatheriii!4  cheered  lustily  at  the  spectacle  of  the 
smokin<4  locomotive. 

But  alas  ! — steam  proved  as  unruly  as  the  prophet 
Balaam,  only  inverted.  It  cursed  rather  than  blessed. 
Falmouth  had  to  deal  with  ships  rather  than  railways, 
and  instead  of  a  fleet  of  vessels  sailing  with  their  white 
wings  into  the  beautiful  harbour,  came  steamers,  more 
or  less  occasional  in  their  appearance.  Sometimes  they 
did  not  call  at  all  and  went  up  channel.  The  docks 
made  no  fortunes.  And  worse  still,  the  great  ocean- 
hners  of  later  years  naturally  cut  off  a  corner  and  saved 
time  by  dropping  anchor  in  Plymouth  Sound.  No 
acceleration  of  the  Cornish  trains  over  the  picturesque 
valleys  spanned  by  high  viaducts,  and  round  the  wooded 
Cornish  hills,  could  safely  compete  at  last  with  the 
direct  route  of  the  great  mail  steamers  and  their  triple 
expansion  engines  which  tore  through  the  waves  and 
landed  their  mails  for  the  special  express  to  the  metro- 
polis. Nature  had  hedged  in  the  old  town  with  natural 
beauties,  but  given  her  no  passport  to  becoming  a 
commercial  centre.  She  was  far  west, — set  in  the  heart 
of  the  hills  which  divided  her  from  the  mother-land, 
and  born  in  a  region  where  the  mild  laving  of  the 
Gulf-stream  gave  promise  of  a  health-resort,  but  hardly 
the  prophecy  of  a  great  port. 

Coming  suddenly  upon  Falmouth,  in  ignorance  of 
its  geographical  position,  one  would  have  wondered 
that  a  harbour  so  large  and  so  secure  could  at  this  date 
remain  so  silent,  and  at  times  so  empty  of  ships.  But 
not  only  has  steam  been  its  enemy,  but  the  colossal 
size  of  the  new  departures  in  vessels.  When  the  rare 
event  takes  place  of  a  visit  from  an  ocean  liner,  the  big 
ship  remains  far  out  in  the  outer  roads,  and  cannot 
even  be  seen  from  the  town.  Though  the  graving- 
dock  will  admit  a  vessel  of  the  size  of  the  Egyptian 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  c 

Monarch,  the  harbour-dues  are  not  to  be  paid  for 
naught.*  These  things  have  left  Falmouth  almost  as 
beautiful  as  of  yore.  The  hills  enclosing  the  harbour 
still  wave  with  corn-fields  and  are  green  with  meadows, 
and  the  wood  at  Trefusis  grows  emerald  in  the  spring, 
and  flushes  ruddy  with  autumn  tints  as  it  did  centuries 
ago,  delighting  as  before  the  lover  of  nature  and  the 
artist,  and  offering  a  sweet  ramble  to  the  visitors  in  the 
yachts  which  moor  at  its  feet.  The  one  or  two  new 
houses  perched  along  the  shore  are  well-devised  and 
do  not  crowd  each  other,  and  view  the  water  and  its 
many  small  craft  pleasantly  in  the  summer  season. 

The  failure  of  commercial  interests  and  the  rare 
temperate  nature  of  the  climate,  with  its  freedom  from 
fog,  have  been  the  cause  of  another  ambition, — that 
the  old  town  may  yet  rear  its  head  among  health- 
resorts.  Into  this  question  I  will  not  enter  since  it  is 
hedged  round  with  weighty  considerations.  If  it  mean 
the  destruction  of  the  unique  old  cliff-walk,  sheltered, 
charming,  and  beloved  of  every  genuine  resident  in  the 
place,  and  the  obliteration  of  greenery  by  mere  garden- 
less  bricks  and  mortar  and  beach  erections  such  as  are 
popular  at  Ramsgate  or  Boulogne,  we  can  only  say — 
*' Alas!"  If  it  mean  the  increase  of  pretty  houses  and 
sweet  gardens  such  as  only  southern  Cornwall  can  pro- 
duce, a  clean  and  inviting  embankment  below  the  town, 
the  planting  of  trees  along  roads  that  have  ceased  to  be 
winsome  lanes,  and  are  hot  and  dusty  without  shade — 
we  say  '*  Ay  !  "  with  all  our  hearts.  To  win  the  traveller 
from  the  Swiss  valley,  or  Mentone,  Falmouth  must 
preserve  its  special  charm  and  wear  that  country  air 
which  never  fails  to  wile  the  dweller  in  cities  from  his 

*  For  repairing  ships  the  docks  are  admirably  adapted,  and  their 
situation  in  a  port  which  is  a  sort  of  "first  and  last  house"  should  give 
them  every  advantage.  They  are  very  large — one  being  537  feet  by  71 — 
the  largest  but  one  in  the  Channel. 


6  Old  Falmouth. 

haunts.  To  his  eyes,  flowers,  grass-grown  hedges,  and 
the  cottage  style  of  residence,  sweet  sights  and  sweet 
scents,  are  thi-  happiest  of  contrasts  to  his  city  sur- 
roundings ;  and  to  his  ears,  accustomed  to  the  best 
bands  that  Europe  can  produce,  the  songs  of  the  birds 
in  the  spring  are  sweeter  music  still.  The  success  of 
no  place  hitherward  depends  upon  much  building,  or 
is  a  matter  of  mere  cash.  It  must  have  something  of 
its  own  to  offer,  which  will  captivate  as  well  as  provide 
for  life's  necessaries.  If  a  born  gardener  like  Mr. 
Howard  Fox  had  the  laying  out  of  all  that  remains  of 
the  as  yet  untouched  land,  he  would  do  more  to  make 
Falmouth  popular  than  all  the  voices  of  the  doctors  or 
the  advertisements  of  the  press.  He  would  turn  it  all 
into  a  great  garden,  in  which  houses  would  nestle 
temptingly,  sheltered  by  piiiiis  insiguis,  a.nd  ornamented 
by  the  draccena,  the  aloe,  and  masses  of  escallonia. 

It  would  become  "  fashionable  "  through  its  engaging 
rusticities,  and  the  contrast  it  would  offer  to  the  plan- 
nings  of  some  of  those  other  towns  by  the  sea.  In  thus 
pleading  the  cause  of  my  native  town  I  am  a  voice  for 
many  of  its  visitors  who  are  dumb,  but  far  from  being 
in  accord  with  any  schemes  that  would  sacrifice  its 
simple  country  air  to  rows  of  uninviting  edifices  that 
house,  and  pay  the  owners,  and  do  no  more. 


But  we  have  wandered  for  a  moment  from  our 
subject  into  the  deep  waters  of  discussion,  while  our 
business  is  with  the  past.  The  first  event  recorded 
relating  to  the  place  is  the  naming  Gyllyng  Vase  in 
1 1 20,  after  Prince  William  (son  of  Henry  I.),  who  with 
his  sister  and  several  Norman  nobles  were  wrecked  off 
Barfleur,— the  prince  being  buried  at  Gyllyng  Vase,  or 
William's  grave.  Gyllyngdune  meant  "  William's  Hill," 
so  runs  the  story,  but  1  do  not  know  whether  it  is 
corroborated  by  any  authentic  document.     All  around 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  y 

must  have  been  wild  woods  and  downs,  unbroken  by 
any  dwelling.  And  thus  it  remained  until  Arwenack 
House  was  built.  Three  hundred  years  ago  Falmouth 
consisted  of  a  little  handful  of  primitive  houses,  not  far 
from  the  old  Manor  House  of  Arwenack.*  They  had 
grown  around  the  old  home  of  the  Killigrews,  a  family 
which  owned  land  not  only  adjacent  to  it,  but  far 
afield,  in  Budock,t  in  fact,  originally  as  far  as  the 
Helford  river,  and  even  on  the  other  side  of  the  har- 
bour, since  they  owned  the  Manor  of  Mylor. 

A  map  of  the  date  of  1580,  showing  Arwenack 
House,  with  the  lawn  in  front  bounded  by  a  battle- 
mented  wall  at  the  water's  edge,  the  "  windmill "  field, 
the  cross  at  the  end  of  the  present  Woodlane,  and 
Glasney  College,  gives  the  names  of  various  small 
houses  scattered  about  Budock,  among  them  Rescar- 
rock,  Prislow,  Penans,  Trescobeas,  etc.,  amid  fields. 
The  map  extends  no  farther  to  the  west  than  "  Cor- 
gillick "  (Kergillick).  Trescobayes  was  the  dwelling 
of  William  Gross,  "who  married  Erisey,  widow  of 
Charles  Vyvyan  of  Merthen,  mother  of  Sir  Richard 
Vyvyan,  Bart.,"  etc.  Gross  died  in  1693.  A  place 
beyond  this  was  Trewoon,  the  seat  of  the  Carnsews 
of  Carnsew  in  Mabe.  Rosmeryn  was  formerly  a  seat 
of  the  Killigrews,  and  was  finally  purchased  by  Captain 
Bown,  in  1773,  and  became  the  property  of  Peter 
Bown  Harris.  The  ownership  of  the  Killigrew  family 
did  not  apply  to  the  estate  of  Penwarne,  owned  origin- 
ally by  a  very  ancient  family,  whose  name  in  fact  was 
given  to  the  surrounding  district,  (called  long  ago  Pen- 
warren).  Nicholas  de  Penwarne  lived  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  reign  of  Henry  IV.  The  estate  was  taxed 
in    Domesday  Book  in   1087.     So   also   was   Budock. 

*  When  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  visited  Arwenack  only  one  little  house 
I  existed. 

f  Swanpool  was  a  swannery  of  the  Killigrew  family. 


8  Old  Falmouth. 

And  the  Killi^rews  were  ori<4in:illy  the  patrons  of  the 
Hvin<^  of  Hudock. 

Another  landowner  in  Biidock  was  Lord  Godolphin, 
stated  in  1761  to  have  been  the  owner  of  several  estates 
in  the  parish,  and  also  to  have  held  the  Royalty  of  Fal- 
mouth harbour,  and  some  leagues  along  the  bay.* 

In  an  old  Cornish  MS.  of  the  Creation  of  the  World 
(a  play  produced  in  Oxford  in  1450) — which  is  still 
preserved  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  the  following  lines 
occur  relating  to  the  rewards  assigned  to  the  builders 
of  the  universe  : — 

"  Blessing  of  the  father  on  you 
You  shall  have  your  reward, 
Your  wages  are  prepared, 
Together  with  all  the  Fields  of  Bohellan, 
And  the  wood  of  Penrin  entirely 
The  Island  t  and  Arwinick 
Tregember  and  Kegillack 
Of  them  make  you  a  deed  or  charter." 

"John  of  Arwennack"  is  mentioned  in  an  old  deed 
of  the  date  of  1264,  and  Ralphe  Killigrew,  Lord  of 
Killigrew  and  Arwennack,  lived  in  the  time  of  Henry  IIL 
The  old  deed  is  so  brief  that  it  may  be  given  in  full,  as 
it  is  less  tedious  than  such  documents  usually  are,  and 
it  has  the  recommendation  of  being  translated  from  the 
Latin  by  Mr.  Thurstan  C.  Peter,  who  extracted  it  from 
Bishop  Bronescombe's  Register,  Bronescombe,  it  may 
be  added,  was  Bishop  of  Exeter  from  1257  to  1280. 

"  The  same  day  and  year  the  Lord  Bishop,  with  the 
consent  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Exeter,  delivered 
all  his  land  of  Arwennack  in  farm  to  Richard,  Rector 
of  the  Church  of  St.  Columb  Major,  in  form  following  : 

"  To  all  the  faithful  in  Christ  under  whose  inspec- 
tion these  presents  shall  come,  Walter  by  the  grace  of 

*  Some  land  has  also  long  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Vyvyan 
family. 

t  Enys,  which  means  island. 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  9 

God,  Bishop  of   Exeter  (desires)  health  eternal  in  the 
Lord. 

"  Know  ye  all  that  we  have,  with  the  full  consent  of 
the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  the  Church  of  Exeter,  granted 
and  delivered  to  Richard  de  Laherne  (hodie  Lanherne), 
Rector  of  the  Church  of  St.  Columb  Major,  all  our 
land  of  Arwennack,  with  all  its  appurtenants,  for  the 
term  of  his  life  with  the  Common  pasture  on  the  West, 
lying  between  the  house  of  John  of  Arwennack  and  the 
sea,  he  yielding  to  us  and  our  successors  30  shillings 
sterling  every  year  in  equal  portions  on  the  ist  of  May 
and  the  ist  of  November,  in  satisfaction  of  all  service, 
actions,  claims,  demands  and  suit  of  Court  :  except 
that  the  said  Richard  must  twice  a  year,  to  wit,  at  the 
Michaelmas  and  Easter  sittings,  attend  our  Court  at 
Penryn  either  personally  or  by  attorney. 

"  And  if  the  said  Richard,  or  his  attorney,  shall 
incur  any  penalty,  the  amount  thereof  shall  be  fixed 
by  his  peers  according  to  the  offence.  After  the  resig- 
nation* of  the  said  Richard  the  whole  of  the  said  Land 
of  Arwennack,  with  all  its  appurtenants,  shall  without 
denial  revert  to  ourselves  or  our  successors,  saving  only 
his  crop  and  other  moveables  on  the  said  land.  More- 
over it  is  lawful  for  the  said  Richard  whenever  he  shall 
be  so  pleased  at  his  freewill  to  remove,  bequeath,  give 
away,  and  without  challenge  assign  to  whomever  he 
shall  desire  all  his  moveable  goods  on  the  said  land,  so 
nevertheless  that  the  said  rent  be  regularly  paid  each 
year  by  himself  or  some  other,  to  ourselves  or  our 
successors.  Moreover  the  said  Richard  is  to  improve 
the  said  land,  so  that  on  its  reverting  to  us  or  our 
successor,  it  shall  be  in  better  condition  than  when  he 
received  it.  For  the  security  whereof  we  have  caused 
our  seal  as  also  the  common  seal  of  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  to  be  affixed  to  this  letter  in  the  manner  of  a 

*  Recessum,  clerical  error  for  decessum,  decease. 


lo  Old  Falnioiilli. 

deed  of  confirmation  {<ul  moiliini),  of  which  one  part 
remains  with  us  sealed  by  the  said  Richard  and  marked 
bv  indents.  Dated  at  Exeter  on  the  vigils  of  St. 
Ambrose,  A.D.  1264,  being  the  7th  year  of  our  con- 
secration." 

It  may  be  stated  by  the  way,  that  the  word  inden- 
ture is  derived  from  the  practice  of  making  zigzag  cuts 
across  a  word  or  sentence,  on  a  space  between  the 
deed  and  its  copy.  The  object  of  this  was  to  prevent 
forgeries,  when  deeds,  owing  to  lack  of  scholarship, 
were  seldom  signed,  but  only  sealed.  This  same 
Bishop  Bronescombe  it  was  who  founded  in  1264 
Glasney  College,  in  a  wood  near  Penryn,  being 
prompted  thereto  by  a  vision  of  St.  Thomas.  It  con- 
tained thirteen  canons  of  a  secular  order.  This 
and  the  old  palace  of  former  bishops  of  Exeter  have 
long  since  disappeared,  although  remnants  of  wall  may 
be  seen  built  into  old  walls  and  gardens  in  the  lower 
part  of  Penryn.  Needless  to  say,  the  doom  of  the  old 
college  was  sealed  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.* 

The  Killigrews  held  lands  in  old  days  in  various 
parts  of  Cornwall,  and  an  old  residence  of  theirs  once 
stood  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  a  farm  in  the  parish 
of  St.  Erme,  which  still  bears  their  name.  John  de 
Killigrew  of  Killigrew  held  land  in  1297,  and  the 
Manor  of  Killigrew  continued  in  their  possession  until 
the  reign  of  lames  I.,  after  which  it  was  sold  and 
dismembered.!  But  the  acquirement  of  the  Falmouth 
lands  was  made  at  a  later  date,  when  one  of  the  family, 

*A  very  complete  and  interesting  lecture  was  delivered  on  Glasney 
and  its  Associations  by  Mr.  T.  C.  Peter,  during  the  Exhibition  at  the 
Polytechnic  Society  in  1898,  which  has  been  published  in  the  Report. 
I  might  here  state  that  Kergillick,  Budock,  was  once  a  seat  of  the  Bishops 
of  Exeter.  Another  account  has  been  published  by  the  I^ev.  C.  R.  Sowell. 
(The  Collegiate  Church  of  St.  Thomas  of  Glasney). 

jThe  barton  of  Killigrew  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Jago  family, 
who  sold  it  with  Ennis  (not  Enys),  a  seat  of  the  Opies  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 


(I-  W^^  ':  'm  I 


^i  X.K. 


X      - 


■^    a 


-  ■  ]\    ! 


;Mmon  : 
-<{   Roberl. 
>ectured,   son 

i:  e  old  ixo 

xe.    Th-  ''^'■ 
gro.'"  of  r": 
(sirn 

now  forms  the  a; 
vvere  pr 

-in  the  cast-  o!  ^ 
Ralph  de  Kill 


.>t    Henry  VIII. 
/r6,ooo  9  ve^r* 


■w  wr 


^tion  and  1o 

;ninte' 


p.f'.rsiii- 1: 


nn 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle. 


II 


Simon  by  name,  married  Jane,  the  daughter  and  heiress 
of  Robert,  Lord  of  Arwenack,  and  removed,  it  is  con- 
jectured, somewhere  about  1385 — it  may  be  later, — 
jfrom  the  old  home  at  St.  Erme  to  Arwenack  Manor. 
There  they  dwelt  for  some  three  centuries  and  a  half, 
when  the  name  died  out  like  many  an  old  Cornish  one 
before.  The  meaning  of  the  word  ''Killigrew"  is  "a 
grove  of  eagles,"  and  this  double-headed  Roman  eagle 
(similar  to  the  Godolphin  arms),  with  suitable  additions, 
now  forms  the  arms  of  the  town  of  Falmouth.  Both 
were  probably  conferred  by  Richard,  Duke  of  Cornwall, 
— in  the  case  of  the  Killigrews,  on  their  early  ancestor, 
Ralph  de  Killigrew. 

From  Simon  Killigrew  and  his  wife  was  descended 
John,  the  first  Captain  of  Pendennis  Castle,  the  fort  of 
which,  with  John  Treffry  of  Fowey,  he  built,  in  the  time 
of  Henry  VIII.  He  was  heir  to  the  estate,  worth 
;^6,ooo  a  year.* 

It  was  a  grand  old  place  at  that  time.  Mr.  Martin 
Lister  Killigrew  wrote  in  1737  that  Arwenack  Manor 
House  was  in  the  sixteenth  century  the  finest  and  most 
costly  house  in  the  county,  containing  numerous  and 
highly  decorated  rooms.  It  was  originally  built  in 
castellated  form,  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  similar 
construction  and  looking  out  upon  a  green  lawn  which 
sloped  uninterruptedly  to  the  water's  edge. 

It  had  been  rebuilt  and  added  to  by  the  Captain 
John     Killigrew    already    mentioned,     who     died     in 

1567. 

time,  to  Robert  Corker,  of  Falmouth.  Finally,  Tonkin  states  that  the 
Manor  of  Killigrew  was  sold  in  1737  to  Mr.  John  Stephens  of  St.  Ives. 
Another  date  has  also  been  assigned,  as  regards  this  Manor — 1636. 

*  Before  his  time,  one  "John  de  Killigrew  had  ;f20  a  year  or  more  in 
land  in  1292,  which  would  amount  to  a  very  considerable  sum  in  tlie 
present  currency.  Henry  de  Killigrew  held  a  military  feu  in  the  hundred 
of  Stratton  in  1402,  while  Ralph  Killigrew  held  one  in  the  hundred  of 
Powder."     (Wade,  in  Extinct  Cornish  Families.) 


12  Old  FalincitlJi. 

His  son  John  succeeded  him,  and  was  kni<^hted  by 
Queen  EUzabeth  in  1574.  He  married  Mary,  the  widow 
of  Henry  Knvvet,  and  dau-^htcr  of  PhiHp  Wolverstan, 
of  Wolverstan  Hall,  Suffolk,  and  sent  his  two  sons, 
Thomas  and  Simon,  to  Court,  "  where  they  made  their 
fortunes,"  while  the  eldest  son  John  was  heir  to  the 
Cornish  estate. 

Carew  says,  "After  the  declining  hill  hath  delivered 
you  downe  from  the  Castle,  Arwenacke  entertaineth 
you  with  a  pleasing  view.  .  .  .  The  cliff  on  which 
the  house  abutteth  is  steep  enough  to  shoulder  off  the 
waves,  and  the  ground  about  it  plain  and  large  enough 
for  use  and  recreation.  It  is  owned  by  Master  John 
Killigrew,  who  married  the  daughter  of  Monck." 
(Dorothy,  daughter  of  Thomas  Moncke,  of  Potheridge, 
or  Poderige,  in  Devon).  Monck  was  the  ancestor  of 
General  Monck,  Duke  of  Albemarle. 

Of  an  old  portrait  of  this  Sir  John  it  is  said  that 
"  his  dress  shows   he  was   a   person   valuing   himself 
upon  his  clothes."     He  had  nine  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters,   lived    extravagantly   and   gambled,    and    left   the 
estate  on  his  death  in  1594  (some  have  stated  1605) — 
to  his  son  (John)  in  a  shattered  condition.     This  son 
was  knighted  by  James  1.  in  1617,  but  though  a  "  sober 
and  good  man,"  he  was  unfortunate  in  every  way.    His 
marriage  with   Jane,  daughter  of   Sir  George  Fermor, 
turned  out  most  unhappily  ;  his  divorce  suit  entailed 
many  journeys  to  London,  lasted  many  years,  and  cost 
him  a  great  deal  of  money.     Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who 
had    been    entertained    by   him    on    his    return    from 
Guiana — his  men  being  sheltered  in  the  one  little  house 
which    existed    at   that    time, — advocated    the    project 
Sir  John  had  for  building  near  so  desirable  a  haven,  and 
laid  the  case  before   James  I.     This,  too,  involved  Sir 
John  in  great  expenses,  and  again  in  many  journeys  to 
London.     And  his  closing  years  were  shadowed  by  the 


THE    KILLIGREW    CUP. 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  13 

events  leading  to  the  Civil  War.  He  died  in  1632, 
shortly  after  his  divorce  was  granted,  and  left  no 
descendants.  The  estate,  greatly  impoverished,  fell  to 
his  brother  Peter,  the  first  of  the  name. 

Fine   as   the    domain  was   its   glory  was  of   short 
duration. 

In  1646  the  house  was  set  on  fire  by  the  troops  at 
Pendennis  Castle, — the  last  to  hold  out  against  the 
Cromwellian  forces  (in  Cornwall), — in  order  that  it 
should  not  be  occupied  by  the  latter.  By  some  it 
was  said  to  be  an  act  of  self-defence,  by  others  of 
malice  on  the  part  of  the  envious  Governor,  but 
proof  of  this  is  hardly  clear.  At  that  time  Lady 
Jane  Bluett,  the  divorced  wife  of  the  late  Sir  John — 
(who  gave  to  the  Mayor  of  Penryn  in  1633,  ^  yes-i" 
after  the  death  of  the  knight,  the  silver  chalice*  in- 
scribed— "  From  maior  to  maior  to  the  towne  of  Per- 
marin  when  they  received  mee  that  was  in  great 
miserie.  J.  K.  1633.") — was  living  there,  and  her 
troubles  in  the  half-destroyed  house  were  added  to 
by  the  fact  that  the  enemy  well  nigh  finished  the 
dismantling  work  by  making  trenches  and  batteries  in 
and  around  the  house  and  the  adjacent  park.  Dame 
Jane  and  her  husband,  although  she  had  come  in  to 
her  jointure  in  the  estate,  were  therefore  greatly  im- 
poverished by  these  events.  She  died  in  1648.  Penryn 
being  hostile  to  Sir  John  and  his  projects  for  forming 
a  town,  sympathised  with  her  and  aided  her  with 
money,  which  she  acknowledged  by  the  gift  of  the 
cup.  Captain  Francis  Bluett,  possibly  the  cause  of 
this  domestic  trouble  (although  another  name  was 
mentioned),  belonged  to  the  Cornish  branch  of  the 
Bluetts  or  Blewetts  of  Holcombe  Rogus,  an  old  Devon 
and  Somerset  family,  seven  of  whom  were  knighted, 
and  who  had  for  several  centuries  dwelt  at  Holcombe 

•  Of  the  value  of  ;^I2. 


14  Old  Fahuouth. 

Court.  John  Bluett  was  Sheriff  of  Cornwall  in  1442. 
A  later  John  Bluett  lived  at  Trevethan,  an  estate 
which  was  purchased  by  the  first  Sir  Peter  Killi^rew. 
Leases  ot  mills  were  granted  to  the  Bluetts  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  the  name  is  still  remembered 
in  Falmouth. 

To  return  to  the  disaster  in  question,  it  may  be 
briefly  said  that  the  old  house  never  rose  from  its 
ashes  in  the  same  distinguished  form.  The  central 
tower  and  the  banqueting  hall  were  destroyed,  and  the 
house,  with  a  few  later  additions  on  a  smaller  scale, 
shrank  to  its  present  proportions.  The  remains  of  the 
stately  hall  window  are  still  to  be  seen.  There  is  a 
story  that  a  secret  passage  existed  between  Pendennis 
Castle  and  Arwenack  House,  but  examination  in  recent 
times  has  failed  to  disclose  anything. 

Long  after  this  and  the  Killigrew  time  it  is  stated 
comparatively  modern  additions  of  a  date  not  earlier 
than  1786  were  made,  and  that  the  ruined  tower  and 
battlemented  wall  were  destroyed  to  erect  these  ad- 
ditions, which  may  be  distinguished  by  the  absence  of 
the  old  stone  mullions. 

Froude  relates  that  in  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  vessels  manned  by  mixed  crews  of 
French  and  English  were  sent  out  to  capture  any  ship 
of  Papist  nations  they  might  meet  with,  and  which, 
although  not  formally  commissioned  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth were  yet  supplied  by  order  at  all  English  ports.  In 
1562  such  a  capture  was  made  of  a  Portuguese  vessel  by 
a  Frenchman  who  drove  a  Spanish  ship  ashore  near 
Falmouth.  The  captain  of  the  latter  appealed  in  vain 
to  the  governor  of  Pendennis  Castle,  and  the  French 
commander  seized  on  him  and  his  vessel.  Further 
"good  luck"  awaited  the  latter.  Some  Portuguese  being 
driven  in  a  few  days  later,  the  Frenchman  chased  them 
before  they  could  get  out  to  sea,  and  brought  back  two 


Atwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  15 

of  the  vessels  as  prizes.  All  this  was  a  direct  encour- 
agement to  any  enterprising  landowners  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  one  or 
two  of  the  Killigrew  family  sharing  the  general  religious 
zeal  and  desire  for  plunder,  attacked  Spanish  vessels  in 
the  harbour.  Lady  Jane  Killigrew,  nee  Fermor,  has 
frequently  had  the  credit  for  an  act  of  piracy  which  was 
committed  by  Dame  Mary  (wife  of  Sir  John  Killigrew, 
who  died  in  1584),  on  a  Spanish  ship  in  Falmouth 
harbour  in  1582,  two  generations  before,  and  the  story 
of  which  is  fully  related  in  the  Calendar  of  State  Papers. 
Falmouth  suffered  from  privateers,  and  a  Portuguese 
privateer  entered  the  harbour  one  night  with  the  object 
of  destroying  the  Manor-house  and  shipping,  a  deed 
which  was  happily  frustrated. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  here  that  Sir  John  Killigrew 
obtained  a  patent  from  James  I.  and  erected  a  light- 
house at  the  Lizard  Point  in  1619.  This  he  preserved 
chiefly  at  his  own  expense  for  five  years,  notwithstand- 
ing the  hostility  of  the  Trinity  Board,  and  I  regret  to 
say  the  Cornish  inhabitants  of  the  neighbourhood,  who 
complained  that  he  was  taking  away  "  God's  grace " 
from  them  !  If  the  stories  about  the  "  Cornish 
wreckers  "  are  untrue,  or  exaggerated,  it  is  certain  from 
this  record  that  they  regarded  a  wreck  as  a  windfall, 
and  were  not  desirous  of  preventing  its  occurrence.  Sir 
John  pleaded  his  cause  and  answered  all  objections 
with  much  good  sense  and  ingenuity,  but  the  matter 
gave  him  a  good  deal  of  vexation  and  trouble.  In 
163 1,  Sir  William  Killigrew,  his  kinsman,  wrote  to  the 
authorities  from  "  Pendenisse  Castle,"  asking  for  a  fresh 
patent  and  to  renew  the  light,  urging  that  "  every  year 
many  shippes  are  wreckt  for  want  of  it," — but  many 
years  passed  and  several  others  pleaded  in  vain  before 
this  useful  and  benevolent  project  was  crowned  with 
success.     A  full  account  of  the  correspondence,   etc., 


i6  Old  Falmouth. 

extracted  from  tlie  Record  Office,  has  been  published 
by  Mr.  Howard  Fox  in  an  interesting  article  in  Vol. 
XXI 1.  of  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution  of 
Cornivall. 

The  first  Sir  Peter  Killigrevv,  Knight,  and  M.P.  for 
Canielford  in  1660,  second  son  of  John  Killigrew,  and 
brother  of  the  last  Sir  John,  was  styled  "  Sir  Peter  the 
Post,"  from  his  conveying  messages  with  great  rapidity 
to  and  from  Charles  I.  in  the  Civil  War.  He  was 
brought  up  "  with  the  earl  of  Bristol  in  Spain,"  attended 
at  Court,  and  in  his  youth  loved  a  little  gambling.  As 
the  Arwenack  estate  had  dwindled  to  ;^8o  a  year,  his 
friends  the  Earl  of  Pembroke  and  his  brother,  be- 
friended him  by  bestowing  land  on  him  near  Cardiff  to 
the  amount  of  ;^3oo  per  annum  in  order  to  enable  him 
to  marry. 

He  was  loyal  to  the  King,  but  took  no  active  part  in 
the  actual  war,  which  cost  him  dear,  and,  in  addition, 
Lady  Jane's  jointure  withheld  his  lands  from  him  for 
some  sixteen  years.  He  was,  however,  able  to  bring 
■^12,000  into  the  estate  on  his  succession,  and  was 
knighted  by  Charles  H. 

Sir  Peter  died  in  1677,  near  Exeter,  and  his  son,  born 
in  1634,  came  into  the  estates  and  about  £j,ooo  in 
money,  with  which  he  purchased  the  bartons  of 
Tregenver  and  Trescobeas,  and  part  of  Tregeneggy — 
sold  about  a  hundred  years  afterwards.  The  second 
Sir  Peter  (whose  portrait  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  I  am 
able  to  reproduce  through  the  kindness  of  the  owner, 
Mrs.  Boddam  Castle,  a  descendant  of  the  family), 
married  in  1662,  Frances,  daughter  of  Sir  Roger 
Twysden,  of  Kent,  a  very  beautiful  woman.  This 
marriage  was,  at  all  events,  a  very  happy  one,  though 
dark  shadows  still  pursued  theheir  of  Arwenack.  From 
his  uncle,  Sir  Williain  Killigrew,  Bart,  who  died,  he 
inherited  the  Baronetcy.    In  1670  the  Killigrews  resided 


Arwenack  and  Pendennls  Castle.  ij 

for  a  time  at  the  Manor-house,  during  which  period  Sir 
Peter  turned  his  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the 
town,  but  was  also  a  good  deal  at  Court,  having  been 
appointed  Receiver-General  for  the  Duchy  of  Cornwall. 
Four  children  were  born  of  this  marriage,  Peter,  who 
died  in  infancy,  George,  the  son  and  heir,  and  two 
daughters,  Frances  and  Anne,  who  became  "remark- 
ably good  and  dutiful  children."  Of  these,  George 
married  in  1684,  Ann,  daughter  of  Sir  John  St.  Aubyn, 
who  brought  a  portion  of  ;^'5,ooo  to  the  estate,  but  the 
marriage  turned  out  unhappily,  and  three  years  after- 
wards the  father's  hopes  were  shattered  by  the  tragic 
fate  of  his  son,  who  was  killed  in  a  duel  at  Penryn  in 
1687.  The  event  almost  broke  Sir  Peter's  heart.  One 
child  of  this  marriage  was  born,  a  daughter,  Amye,  who 
married  Major  Dunbar,  and  of  their  marriage  a  son 
who  died  in  infancy,  closed  the  descent.  The  marriage 
of  his  daughter,  Frances,  with  Mr.  Richard  Erisey,  in 
1685,  also  turned  out  unfortunately,  as  they  separated  a 
short  time  afterwards.  Sir  Peter  removed  to  London 
in  1690,  but  was  present  at  his  daughter  Anne's 
marriage  with  Captain  Martin  Lister,  of  Staffordshire 
(born  in  1666),  who  had  been  stationed  at  Pendennis 
Castle  during  the  Governorship  of  John  Grenville, 
Earl  of  Bath.  Captain  Lister  took  the  name  of  Killi- 
grew,  in  view  of  the  succession  to  part  of  the  estate.  In 
him  "  Sir  Peter  and  his  Lady  "  found  a  dutiful  son,  a 
"  good  and  kind  brother-in-law  to  the  unhappy  Frances, 
and  as  good  a  husband  to  the  said  Anne  to  the  day  of 
their  deaths,"  After  leaving  London,  Sir  Peter  retired 
to  Ludlow  where  he  died  in  1704,  his  remains  being 
buried  in  Falmouth  Church.*  Lady  Killigrew,  the 
widow,  then  resided  in  London,  and  died  in  171 1,  at 

*  Nearly  one  hundred  years  after  tJie  burial  of  Sir  Peter,  the  vault  was 
opened  during  some  repairs  to  the  church,  and  the  inscription  was  found  to 
be  legible. 


i8  Olil  Falmouth. 

the  a^e  of  seventy,  lier  remains  bein^  buried  beside 
those  of  her  husband.  Frances  (Mrs.  Erisey),  and  her 
daughter  Mary  lived  with  her  sister  Anne  and  Martin 
Lister  Killigrew.  In  1711,  Mary  Erisey  married  Col- 
onel John  West,  of  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  Suffolk,  but 
unfortunately  died  four  years  afterwards  at  York  from 
the  small-pox,  leaving  two  daughters,  Mary  and  Frances. 
Anne,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Martin  Killigrew,  died  after  a  long 
illness  in  Charles  Street  House,  in  1727,  her  remains  also 
being  consigned  to  the  family  vault  at  F'almouth.  She 
left  no  descendants.  Her  sister  Frances  lived  until 
1736,  and  her  two  grand-daughters  came  into  the  estate, 
one  of  whom  married  John  Merrill  in  1737,  and  the 
other  the  Honourable  Charles  Berkeley,  of  Burton 
Abbey,  whence  the  Earl  of  Kimberley  derives. 

A  portrait  of  one  of  the  Killigrew  family,  said  by 
some  to  be  a  Miss  Killigrew,  by  others,  the  well-known 
Lady  Jane,  hangs  in  the  Council  Chamber  in  the 
Municipal  Buildings  of  Falmouth.  No  other  particulars 
seem  to  be  known  about  this  old  family  relic.  I  may 
state  here  that  many  of  the  old  Killigrew  portraits,  the 
property  of  Sir  Peter,  seem  to  have  formed  part  of  a 
collection  owned  by  Mr.  Edward  Ravenall  (a  nephew 
of  Mr.  Killigrew),  all  of  which  were  offered  for  sale  in 
London  in  1776.  Among  them  were  portraits  of  "  Mrs. 
Aurizie,"  (Erisey)  "daughter  of  Sir  Peter  Killigrew,  by 
Dahl,"  of  Sir  John  Killigrew  (which,  not  stated),*  "  Sir 
Peter  and  his  Lady,  by  Sir  Peter  Lely,''  etc. 

Something  of  interest  may  be  said  concerning  the 
Eriseys  (de  Erisey),  an  old  family  now  extinct  in  the 
male  line  who  derived  their  name  from  the  manor  of 
Erisey,  in  Ruan  Major  and  Minor.  The  Richard  Erisey 
in  question,  of  Bickleigh,  in  Devon,  was  one  of  the 
sheriffs  of  Cornwall.  Brasses,  etc.,  relating  to  the 
family  exist  at  Grade,  near  Mullion,  the  earliest  inscrip- 

•  Presumably  the  second  Sir  John. 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  19 

tion  bearing  the  date  of  i486.  The  family  is  traced 
back  to  the  time  of  Edward  I  ;  and  several  of  them 
were  sheriffs  of  the  county.  Erisey  House  was  built  by 
Richard  Erisey  in  1620.  An  interesting  tale  is  told 
about  one  of  them — a  stout-hearted  Cornishman  in 
days  gone  by.  "  In  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  King 
Henry  VIII.,  An.D.  1513,  war  being  declared  against 
France,  a  fleet  of  French  men-of-war,  of  about  30  sail, 
came  into  Penzance  Bay,  and  sent  ashore  a  company  of 
armed  men  to  forage  the  country,  who  set  lire  to  the 
town  of  Market-Jew,  and  burnt  the  same  to  the  ground. 
But  James  Erizy,  Esq.,  then  Sheriff  of  Cornwall,  appear- 
ing the  same  day  in  those  parts  with  the  posse  comitaUis, 
and  the  country  people  flocking  about  him  to  admira- 
tion, so  that  he  made  up  a  considerable  army,  the 
enemy,  seeing  his  resolution  to  come  to  a  battle,  on  his 
approach  took  to  their  boats  and  forthwith  departed." 

The  Killigrews,  if  not  one  of  those  powerful  families 
which  moulded  national  destiny,  nevertheless  held  their 
own  place  as  "poets,  painters,  playwrights,  and  soldiers." 
Dryden  wrote  a  fine  ode  on  Mistress  Anne  Killigrew, 
who  was  accomplished  in  painting  and  poetry.  Henry 
Killigrew  it  was,  who  when  Essex  was  appointed 
General,  and  various  persons  offered  to  aid  him  in  the 
matter  of  troops,  arose  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
exclaimed  like  a  resolute  Cornishman,  "  I  shall  provide 
a  good  horse,  a  good  buff  coat,  a  good  brace  of  pistols, 
and  I  doubt  not  I  shall  find  a  good  cause."  His  courage 
in  the  field  was  equal  to  his  spirit  in  promising. 

Carew  says,  "  Sir  Henry  Killigrew,  after  Ambassades 
and  messages  and  many  other  employments  of  peace  and 
warre,  in  his  Prince's  service,  to  the  good  of  the 
Countrey,  hath  made  choyce  of  a  retyred  estate,  and 
reverently  regarded  by  all  sorts,  placeth  his  principall 
contentment  in  himself,  which  to  a  life  so  well  acted, 
can  no  way  bee  wanting." 


20  Old  Falmouth. 

As  a  tamily.  however,  they  were  courtiers  and  Rov- 
alists  and  adherents  ot  the  Stuarts  to  a  degree  which, 
added  to  the  extravagance  of  the  son  and  heir  of  the 
tirst  Sir  John,  ended  in  the  reduction  of  a  rent-roll  of 
six  thous^md  to  some  eighty  pounds  a  year.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  the  first  Sir  Peter,  who  inherited  the 
remainder  of  the  estates,  became  somewhat  dubious  as 
to  a  policy  which  meant  ruin,  and  that  he  accepted  the 
two  thousand  pounds  voted  to  him  bv  Parliament  for 
his  services,  and  was  appointed  Governor  of  Pendennis 
Castle  in  16O0  by  General  Monk. 

After  the  Restoration  of  the  Monarchy,  the  Charter 
of  Falmouth  was  granted  to  him  for  his  services  to 
Charles  II.  and  his  father,  which  naturally  aided  him  in 
impro\Tng  an  impoverished  estate.  Xo  doubt  he  rejoiced 
over  the  Restoration  of  the  Monarchy,  and  gladlv 
named  the  Church  after  "  King  Charles  the  Marter," 
but  for  a  time,  at  least,  he  must  have  fallen  in  with 
the  cause  oi  the  Parliament.  Those  were  days  of  such 
stress  and  trial  as  few  can  conceive  of  now,  in  which 
lo\*alty  to  conviction  had  to  be  paid  for  at  a  heavy 
price.  Banishment,  the  sequestration  of  land,  hea\'y 
outlays  in  supporting  a  cause  destined  to  be  unpopular, 
awaited  many  of  the  staunch  adherents  of  either  partv. 
Heads  were  not  safe  among  the  most  prominent,  and 
country'  mansions  became  centres  of  strife  and  scenes 
of  siege  and  conflagrations.  To  the  charge  of  Cromwell 
has  been  laid  much  in  the  way  of  devastation  which 
all  regret  in  these  davs,  but  it  is  more  than  doubtful  if 
he  was  responsible  for  the  havoc  made  in  various 
edifices,  historical  and  sacred,  and  certainly  not,  as  we 
have  seen,  for  the  mischief  wrought  at  Arwenack.  His 
troops  were  filled  with  the  barbarous  zeal  which  fired 
men  who  were  hotly  opposed  to  the  old  order  of 
things,  and  their  ensigns,  but  on  the  other  hand  their 
great  general  showed  no  sign  of  antipathy  to  the  old 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  21 

classical  statues  adorning  the  gardens  of  Hampton 
Court  during  his  residence  there,  and  we  know  that  he 
loved  music  and  cherished  the  arts.  Engrossed  as  he 
was  in  one  vital  cause,  it  was  hardly  possible  that  he 
could  have  held  an  iron  hand  in  every  detail  over  those 
who  were  too  roughly  engaged  in  carr^'ing  it  forward. 
Be  this  as  it  may — Arwenack  Manor  is  one  of  those  old 
places  which  felt  the  unfortunate  blight  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  it  is  probably  owing  in  great  part  to  the 
disaster  which  marred  its  extent  and  original  grandeur 
that  the  descendants  of  its  old  owners  withdrew  from 
Falmouth,  allowed  the  fine  old  avenue  to  become  a 
rope-walk,  and  sold  or  leased  their  land  to  others  for 
the  building  of  various  houses  in  what  had  once  been 
the  park  of  a  celebrated  mansion. 

The  personal  influence  of  the  Killigrew  family  thus 
receded  from  Falmouth,  and  with  it  its  old  military 
prestige. 

As  an  old  fort  Pendennis  was  heard  of  a  thousand 
years  ago,  but  the  development  of  the  fort  into  a 
Castle  dates  no  earlier  than  the  time  of  Henr\'  V'lII., 
who  was  bent  on  defending  his  sea-coast,  and  built  the 
round  tow^er.  There  is  a  tradition  that  this  active 
monarch  travelled  all  the  way  to  Cornwall  to  see  for 
himself  the  sites  for  the  castles  of  Pendennis  and  St. 
Mawes,*  but  the  sole  evidence  for  the  statement  lies  in 
the  fact  that  the  ferry  in  the  Truro  river  is  still  called 
"  King  Harry's  Passage."  In  an  old  print  of  1734,  the 
round  tower  comes  out  with  great  vigour,  and  is  repre- 

*  Of  the  governors  or  keepers  of  St.  ilawes  Castle  (the  fort  opposite 
Pendennis,  built  in  1542,  and  guarding  the  entrance  to  the  harbour),  the 
first  was  Captain  Michael  Vyvyan  (1544),  and  the  last  ilajor-Generai  Sir 
Alexander  Cameron  (1828).  The  office  was  abolished  in  1842.  Among 
those  appointed  were  several  members  of  the  Vyvyan  family,  the  Earl  of 
Arundel  and  Surrey  (1635),  Lieut  CoL  Kekewich,  and  the  Rt  Honble. 
Hugh  Boscawen  1697,  (he  was  a  member  of  the  Privy  Council),  afterwards 
Lord  Falmouth, 


22  Old  Fahiionth. 

seated  as  bein^  surrounded  by  a  hii^li  wall  and  this 
again  by  a  moat  tilled  with  water.  Beyond  this  is 
another  wall  and  a  drawbridj^e,  and  a  second  moat. 
One  is  constrained  to  inquire  where  all  this  water  came 
from,  and  inclined  to  think  that  the  draughtsman's 
pencil  must  have  been  inspired  by  a  little  artistic  licence. 
Below  may  be  seen  an  array  of  guns  well  calculated  to 
alarm  any  enemy  that  was  disposed  to  sail  within  shot 
of  these  two  fortifications.  No  longer  could  the  vessels 
of  two  nations  enter  upon  a  pitched  battle  inside  the 
harbour,  as  is  stated  to  have  once  occurred  between 
French  and  Spaniards,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
inhabitants  and  the  disturbance  of  the  public  peace. 
The  outworks  were  added  in  the  time  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, who  mounted  loo  pieces  of  cannon,  and  sent  loo 
men  to  Pendennis  to  guard  the  coast  from  Spanish 
invasions. 

Of  course  the  history  of  the  Castle — which,  being 
comparatively  recent,  is  neither  exciting  nor  romantic — 
is  mixed  up  with  the  Killigrews,  who  were  called  "  lords 
of  both  fort  and  town."  It  was  built  on  their  land,  and 
they  received  a  yearly  rent  of  £12,  6s.  8d.  for  it.  Leland, 
antiquary  to  Henry  VIII.,  alludes  to  the  "hille  whereon 
the  King  hath  builded  a  castle  called  Pendinant,  and 
longgith  to  Mr.  Keligrewe."  The  rent  greatly  increased 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  17th  century,  and  in  1795  the 
lands  were  purchased  altogether  by  the  Crown. 

Naturally,  a  Killigrew  was  the  first  Captain  or 
Governor  in  1567.  The  old  inscription  in  Budock 
Church  *  to  his  memory  preserves  the  record  as 
evidently  a  matter  of  local  importance  :  "  Here  lyeth 
John  Killigrew  Esqier,  of  Arwenack,  and  Lord  of  ye 
Manor  of  Killigrew-  in  Cornwall  ;  and  Elizabeth 
Trewinnard,  his  wife.  He  was  the  first  captaine  of 
Pendennis  Castle,  made  by  King  Henry  the  eight,  so 

*  The  brass  in  Gluvias  Church  is  of  an  older  date  (see  Appendix). 


*    l' 

b^ 

p 

HEERE  LYETH  IOHN  KILLIGREW  ElSQyiER.OF 

Arwenack,  and  Lord  of  y  Manor  of  Killicrew 

IN  CORNEWALLAND  ELIZABETH  TrEWINNARD  HIS 

WIFE. HE  wasth:  first Captaine  ofPf.ndennis 
Castle, MADE  by  King  Henry  thceicht.&so  conti 

NVED    VNTILL  TFENYNTH  OF  QVEENE  EUZABETH 
AT  WHICH  TIME  COD  TOOKE  HIM   It)  HIS  MERCYE, 
BEING  TIE  YEARE  OF  OVR  LORD    lj6  7  . 

S  lOITN KlLUCREW  KNIGHT  HISSONE  SVCCEEDED  HIM 
IN  Y  SAME  PLACE  BY  TfEGIFT  OFQvEENE  EUZABETH. 


THE    KILLIGREW    BRASS,    BUDOCK    CHURCH 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  23 

continued  until  the  nynth  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  at  which 
time  God  took  him  to  his  mercye,  being  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1567.  Sir  John  Killigrew,  knight,  his  sone,  suc- 
ceeded him  in  ye  same  place  by  the  gift  of  Queene 
Elizabeth."*     He  was  "captain"  from  1567  to  1584. 

To  the  memory  of  this  second  captain  there  is  also 
another  inscription  :  "  Here  lyeth  the  bodies  of  Sir 
John  Killigrew,  of  Arwenack,  in  the  Countye  of  Corn- 
wall, knight,  who  departed  this  life  the  5  day  of  March, 
Anno  xxvi,  Rne.  of  Eliz.,  and  Dame  Mary  his  wife."  It 
goes  on  to  state  :  "  He  was  the  second  captain  that 
commanded  Pendennis  Forte  since  the  first  erection 
thereof."  A  little  family  history  follows,  and  then  the 
tablet  concludes  with  the  statement  that  "John 
Killigreu^e,  grand-sonne  unto  Sir  John  Killigrewe, 
hath  of  a  pious  mind  erected  this  monument.  An. 
D'm'i,  1617."  Above  are  kneeling  figures  of  the  knight 
and  his  wife. 

Once  again  a  Killigrew  became  Governor  in  1584, 
John,  the  eldest  son  of  the  knight  aforesaid,  and  he  it 
was  who  petitioned  for  an  increase  of  the  defensive 
power  of  the  Castle  and  offered  to  find  men  among  his 
tenants,  the  outlay  of  which  would  amount  to  some 
fifteen  hundred  pounds.  "  I  have  been  twelve  months 
suitor  about  it,"  he  wrote,  "  and  have  made  a  liberal 
offer,  considering  my  beggarly  estate,  for  its  fortifying." 
A  brave  effort,  considering  he  was  in  debt,  and  his  pay 
as  Governor  amounted  to  ;^ii8  12s.  6d.  per  annum. 

Then  followed  Sir  Nicholas  Parker,  of  Devon,  born 
in  Sussex,  to  whom  Queen  Elizabeth  wrote  about  the 
new  fortifications,  stirring  everybody  up  to  such  pur- 
pose that  Halsef  chronicled  that  Pendennis  is  "look'd 
upon  as  one  of  the  most  invincible  Castles  in  this  King- 

*  The  brass  bears  also  the  arms  of  Carminow. 

t  Sir  Nicholas  Halse,  Governor  or  Lieutenant-Governor  in  1613,  was 
grandfather  of  William  Halse,  or  Hals,  the  (parochial)  historian. 


24  Old  FabHoiilh. 

dom,  having  above   loo   Pieces  of  Cannon,  and  some 
Thousands  of  Foot  Arms." 

To  liim  also  is  an  inscription  in  Latin  in  Budock 
Church,  where  his  remains  were  consigned  in  1603. 
Sir  John  Parker  succeeded  liim  in  1607,*  ^^'^^  then 
we  go  back  again  to  the  Kilhgrews.  Sir  Robert 
KilHgrew  was  appointed  in  1614,  and  found  tilings 
had  sadly  gone  down  and  that  the  poor  old  Castle 
was  in  a  sad  plight.  "  For  9  years  there  has  not  been  a 
piece  of  ordnance  mounted,  and  at  this  time  there  are 
not  above  4  barrels  of  powder."  Worse  still,  the  garri- 
son had  no  pay,  and  would  have  starved,  so  the 
eloquent  and  indignant  knight  declared,  "had  they  not 
lived  on  limpets  !  "  We  wonder  whether  they  would 
have  fought  well  on  limpet  diet.  Sir  William,  his  son, 
was  a  kind  of  co-partner  in  the  governorship,  and  on 
the  death  of  Sir  Robert  in  1633  was  sole  captain,  but  in 
a  couple  of  years  he  resigned  the  office,  possibly  in  dis- 
gust over  the  four  barrels  of  powder  and  the  limpets, 
and  then  came  Sir  Nicholas  Slanning,  of  Cavalier 
renown.  Of  bravery  the  young  captain  had  plenty, 
but  the  Civil  War  ravaged  the  land,  and  although 
the  Cornish  fought  valiantly  against  the  Parliamentary 
troops  at  Stratton,  they  paid  the  penalty  a  little  later. 
Slanning,f  of  Royalist  fame,  was  slain  in  1643,  and  the 
new  governor,  a  man  advanced  in  years,  was  a  more 
zealous  Royalist  than  ever.  Colonel  John  Arundel,  of 
Trerise.  He  was  a  grandson  of  Sir  John  Arundel,  of 
Trerise,  the  celebrated  "John  for  the  King,"  and  was 
Member  of  Parliament  for  Cornwall  ;  and  at  the  crisis 
when  Queen  Henrietta  Maria  was  "frighted  by  Essex" 
she  found  warm  shelter  within  the  stout  w'alls  of  the 
Castle  until  she  could  escape  to  France.     A  letter  from 

•  He  died  without  descendants. 

t  Sir  John  Slanning,  of  tlie  well-known  couplet  concerning  the  "four 
wheels  of  Charles's  wain." 


//^ 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  25 

the  Sheriff  of  Cornwall  (Edmund  Prideaux),  written  on 
July  3rd,  1644,  describes  her  condition  as  "  the  woe- 
fullest  spectacle  my  eyes  yet  ever  look'd  on  ;  the  most 
worne  and  weak  pitifull  creature  in  ye  world,  the  poore 
Queen  shifting  for  one  hour's  liffe  longer."  An  unpro- 
pitious  wind  for  the  fleet  which  gave  hot  chase  to  the 
Httle  Dutch  vessel  in  which  she  fled,  and  fired  many 
shot  at  her,  enabled  her  to  land  in  safety  at  Brest.  In 
a  pamphlet  printed  in  1644  it  is  stated  that  the  Queen 
"  having  a  galley  of  sixteen  oares,  it  is  thought  that  all 
the  ships  in  the  world  could  not  overtake  her." 

Many  stone  shot  have  been  dredged  up  in  Falmouth 
harbour,  the  majority  of  granite,  witnesses  of  the  war- 
fare of  bygone  days.  One  weighing  i2i  pounds  was 
found  in  1844. 

Among  other  celebrities  at  the  Castle  in  those  days 
were  the  Duke  of  Hamilton  (imprisoned  for  supposed 
disloyalty),  Sir  Edward  Hyde  (the  Chancellor),  and  the 
Prince  of  Wales  (afterwards  Charles  II.).  Into  a 
chamber,  still  called  "  the  king's  room,"  the  unfor- 
tunate Prince  retreated  in  1645,  concealing  himself 
betimes  in  a  closet  which  once  existed  above.*  But 
the  Parliamentary  troops,  under  Sir  Thomas  Fairfax, 
pressed  on,  the  Prince  had  to  fly — retiring  at  first  to 
Scilly, — and  the  Castle  in  1646,  filled  with  the  alarmed 
townspeople,  underwent  such  a  siege  by  sea  and  land 
that  the  limpets  in  question  on  a  previous  occasion 
would  have  proved  a  welcome  addition  to  the  scanty 
fare.  Supplies  were  intercepted,  the  garrison  was  dis- 
orderly, the  affrighted  inhabitants  starving  and  in  want 
of  every  necessary  of  life.  Colonel  Arundel,  not  far 
from  eighty  years  of  age,  made  a  spirited  but  hopeless 
defence,  holding  out  for  some  five  months  against  over- 
whelming odds,  and  finally  surrendered. 

*  This  closet  was  demolished  in  i8o8  during  some  repairs. 


26  Old  FabnoutJi. 

There  was  talk  of  blowing  up  the  Castle  by  a  party 
within  it,  but  after  much  parley  and  several  disputes 
this  foolhardy  proposal  was  abandoned,  and  articles  of 
agreement  as  to  the  surrender  were  determined  upon 
and  signed  at  last.  On  the  part  of  the  Governor  were 
Sir  Abraham  Shipman,  Colonels  Arundel,  Arnold, 
Slaughter,  Jennings,  Tremayne,  and  others  ;  and  with 
Sir  Thoinas  Fairfax  were  Colonel  John  St.  Aubyn 
(SherilY),  Sir  John  Ayscue,  and  Colonels  Herle, 
Bennet,  Townsend,  Jennings,  etc.  Captain  William 
Batten  was  Vice-Admiral  and  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  Fleet. 

At  two  o'clock  on  August  17,  1646,  therefore,  it  was 
arranged  that  the  Castle  was  to  be  delivered  up  to  the 
custody  of  the  two  Commanders-in-Chief  by  sea  and 
land.  The  articles  of  agreement  were  very  liberal  to 
the  Royalists,  and  the  stout-hearted  John  Arundel  suc- 
ceeded in  stipulating  for  an  honourable  retreat.  He  and 
his  family  and  retinue,  the  officers  and  soldiers,  "and  all 
Gentlemen,  Clergymen,  and  their  families  and  Servants 
shall  march  out  of  the  Castle  of  Pendennis,  with  their 
Horses,  compleat  Arms  and  other  Equipages  .... 
with  flying  colours,  Trumpets  sounding,  Drums  beating, 
Matches  lighted  at  both  ends.  Bullets  in  their  Mouths, 
and  every  Soldier  Twelve  charges  of  Powder  with  Bullets 
and  match  proportionable  .  .  .  and  shall  lay  down 
their  arms  (saving  the  Swords)  *  on  Arwinch  Downs.' 
Nor  were  any  of  these  to  be  compelled  *  to  take  up  arms 
against  the  King.'  "  * 

No  doubt  they  marched  out  in  as  much  state  as  their 
impoverished  and  straitened  condition  admitted,  but  as 
regards  horses  there  were  none.  The  last  horse  was 
left  in  a  barrel,  salted — all  the  meat  they  had — while 
there  was  neither  bread  nor  drink  other  than  a  little 
water.     Many  died  from  eating  too  heartily  after  this 

•  See  Captain  Oliver's  Pendennis  and  St.  Mawes,  1875. 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  27 

terrible  famine.  The  condition  of  the  Castle  may  be 
imagined  when  it  is  recorded  that  a  thousand  officers 
and  soldiers  marched  through  the  Castle  gate,  leaving 
two  hundred  sick  persons  behind,  and  two  hundred 
women  and  children.  Among  the  officers  was  Colonel 
Lewis  Tremayne.  Eight  years  later  John  Arundel  died. 
On  the  Restoration,  Colonel  Richard  Arundel,  who  had 
aided  his  father  in  this  valiant  defence,  was  created  a 
peer. 

Two  days  later  Raglan  Castle,  the  last  fortress  to 
hold  out,  surrendered  also,  and  the  great  cause  of  con- 
stitutional government  was  won  in  England. 

The  firing  of  the  Manor  House  by  the  Royalists  has 
already  been  related,  and  was  one  of  those  desperate 
deeds  which  are  witnessed  in  a  lost  cause. 

Colonel  Richard  Fortescue,  commander  of  the  Par- 
liamentary troops,  was  appointed  Governor  a  few 
months  afterwards,  retaining  his  post  for  a  year.  Sir 
Hardres  Waller  succeeded  him,  the  Parliament  evi- 
dently attaching  great  importance  to  the  captains  of  the 
Castle,  and  desiring  a  zealous  adherent  to  hold  the 
chief  command.  While  he  was  there  another  notable, 
William  Prynne,  a  rather  uncompromising  Puritan, 
who  offended  both  governments, — a  barrister,  and  M.P. 
for  Newport, — was  imprisoned  (in  1652),  and  spent  his 
time  in  writing  against  all  forts,  as  useless  and  unprofit- 
able concerns.  No  doubt  he  had  every  reason  to  take 
this  view.  He  was  a  man  with  more  talent  than  judg- 
ment. Captain  John  Fox,  1658  (who  received  an  order 
from  Oliver  Cromwell  for  the  encouragement  of  the 
Falmouth  market  in  1655),  and  Colonel  Anthony 
Rouse,  1659,  were  the  other  governors  successively 
appointed  during  the  Commonwealth.  The  latter  was 
said  by  Hals  to  have  "  lived  in  a  barn  and  lodged  on 
straw,"  but  when  he  was  "posted  Commander  of  this 
Castle,    he    behaved   himself     so   very   proud,   grand. 


28  Old  Falniouth. 

severe  and  ma<,Msterial"  to  the  folks  of  the  Cavalier 
party  that  Mr.  Trefusis  sharpened  his  wit  upon  him  in 
some  rather  rude  verses. 

Sir  Peter  Killitfrew  (Knight),  the  last  of  the  Killigrews 
who  held  office,  seemed  to  please  both  parties,  althou^^h 
he  sought  to  rescue  the  king,  providing  horses  and  a  ship 
on  the  coast  of  Sussex  for  the  purpose.  Mr.  \V.  C. 
Wade  states  in  his  article  on  the  Killigrews  that  the 
attempted  escape  only  hastened  Charles's  end,  and  that 
Sir  Peter  used  to  relate  the  story  of  his  unsuccessful 
plans  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  The  appointment  was 
given  to  him  by  General  Monk,  and  two  months  later 
saw  the  monarchy  restored.  He  was  also  rewarded 
for  his  services  by  the  Parliament,  with  which  he  had 
great  interest — (he  was  M.P.  for  Camelford  in  1660), — 
and  remained  on  comfortably  at  his  post  when  Charles 
II.  returned.  On  his  death,  in  1662,  Colonel  Richard 
Arundel,  the  son  of  the  stout-hearted  John,  succeeded 
him,  and  was  elevated  to  the  peerage  in  1665.  John, 
Lord  Arundel,  the  Earl  of  Bath,  Richard  Trevannion, 
with  deputy  or  lieutenant-governors,  followed  one  after 
the  other.  While  Trevannion  held  the  post  the  Castle 
was  struck  by  lightning  in  a  severe  thunderstorm  in 
17 1 7,  and  was  said  to  have  been  considerably  damaged. 
The  names  of  Colonel  Owen,  1735,  Colonel  Beauclerk, 
1774,  General  Robinson,  177.S,  and  General  Buckly, 
1793,  are  all  less  remembered  than  those  of  Captain 
Phillip  Melvill,  who  was  lieutenant-governor  from 
1797  to  181 1,  and  Colonel  P'enwick,  also  lieutenant- 
governor  from  1814  to  1832.  About  1835  ^^e  otttce 
was  abolished,  and  neither  governors  nor  lieutenant- 
governors  were  known  any  more  at  Pendennis. 

"Governor  Melvill,"  as  he  was  called,  is  the  best 
known.  It  was  he  who  inspired  the  soldiers  with  the 
building  of  cottages,  and  the  laying  out  of  the  gardens 
on  the  castle  slopes,  and  used  his  influence  in  the  cause 


C  A  1'  r  A  I  X      M  E  L  \-  1  L  L . 
(From  an  Oil  Paintinij.) 


Arwenack  and  Pendennis  Castle.  29 

of  charity  in  Falmouth,  He  was  a  man  who  had 
suffered  much  in  early  life  while  in  India,  and  had 
become  imbued  with  earnest  religious  sentiments  and 
much  benevolence.  With  everyone  he  seems  to  have 
been  a  favourite,  and  died  all  too  soon  at  the  age  of 
forty-nine  years.  Colonel  Fenwick  underwent  an  am- 
putation of  the  thigh  which  disabled  him  for  life,  and 
rendered  the  appointment  in  those  days  a  very  suitable 
one  for  him  ;  for  the  old  fortress  was  hardly  in  a 
condition  then  to  take  an  active  part  in  time  of  war, 
and  was  a  kind  of  military  retreat.* 

A  volume  of  "  Memoirs"  of  Captain  Melvill  (born  in 
1762  at  Dunbar),  which  was  published  in  1812,  gives  a 
vivid  account  of  his  earnestness  of  character,  and  relates 
that  on  entering  Falmouth  Harbour  in  1786,  he  was  so 
struck  with  Pendennis  Castle  that  he  longed  to  settle 
there.  This  singular  wish  was  fulfilled  some  ten  years 
later,  when  he  was  first  appointed  to  the  command  of  a 
company  stationed  at  the  Castle,  and  subsequently  to  the 
post  of  lieutenant-governor,  which  he  held  for  life.  While 
in  the  73rd  regiment  he  was  engaged  in  India  in  1780  in 
the  war  against  Hyder  All's  forces,  and  was  badly  wounded, 
lying  for  nearly  three  days  on  the  field  naked,  exposed 
to  a  burning  sun,  and  suffering  intense  torture  from 
thirst.  From  this  condition  he  was  rescued,  only  to  be 
imprisoned  by  the  enemy  for  four  years  in  the  fort  of 
Bangalore.  During  this  time  he  experienced  untold 
miseries  from  the  lack  of  medical  attendance,  proper 
food  and  clothing,  and  the  filthy  condition  of  the  prison. 

•In  1797,  owing  to  the  fears  about  French  invasion,  steps  were  taken 
by  the  inhabitants  of  Falmouth  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  regi- 
ment of  Artillery  Volunteers,  now  represented  by  the  Royal  Cornwall 
Miners'  Artillery  Militia.  Previously,  and  early  in  the  same  century — 1736 
and  afterwards — a  company  of  invalids  were  at  Pendennis,  out-pensioners 
of  "Chelsea  College."  In  1788  "Captain  Tydd,  of  Pendennis  Castle,  has 
exchanged  with  Captain  Roger  Gilbert  for  his  company  of  invalids  at 
Chester.  Captain  Tydd  is  removing  to  Chester,  Mr.  G.  succeeds  him  at 
Pendennis."     {Note  from  old  document). 


^o  Old  Fiiluioittli. 

No  wonder  that  after  such  experiences  he  gazed  upon 
EngUsh  shores  with  emotion,  and  looked  upon  Pen- 
dennis  Castle  as  a  liaven  of  rest  !  These  early  hard- 
ships no  doubt  contributed  to  his  death  at  a  compara- 
tively early  age,  notwithstanding  that  he  had  made  a 
happy  marriage,  and  was  the  father  of  several  greatly 
beloved  children,  some  of  whom  became  distinguished 
in  later  years,  in  the  church  and  in  military  service.* 
One  of  his  sons,  however,  who  was  in  the  Artillery, 
and  only  nineteen  years  of  age,  was  drowned  at 
Madeira,  in  1808,  owing  to  the  capsizing  of  a  boat. 
This  was  a  terrible  blow.  But  Captain  Melvill  may  be 
said  to  have  lived  for  another  world,  and  devoted  all  his 
spare  time  and  energies  to  aiding  as  best  he  might  those 
among  whom  he  lived.  To  him,  the  founder  of  the 
Misericordia  Society,  the  poor  of  Falmouth  owed  a 
debt  of  gratitude,  and  on  the  day  of  his  funeral  all 
united  to  do  his  memory  honour.  An  old  letter  of  one 
of  the  officers  of  the  Pendennis  Volunteer  Artillery,  a 
corps  formed  chiefly  by  his  endeavours,  and  later  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Burgess,  describes  how  "  the  body 
was  borne  on  a  car  drawn  by  four  horses,  the  street 
being  lined  with  soldiers,  from  the  ibar  to  the  entrance 
of  the  church,  with  reversed  arms."  The  writer  adds, 
"  He  was  most  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 
I  almost  fancy  I  can  see  him  now  ;  he  wore  one  arm 
in  a  sling,  from  a  w^ound  he  received  in  India  in  action, 
having  been  left  for  dead  in  the  field." 

It  was  a  life  short,  active,  beloved  aud  influential 
for  good. 

And  here  may  be  said  to  close  the  antiquities  of 
Falmouth,  neither  numerous  nor  numbering  many  cen- 
turies, but  nevertheless  of  greater  and  more  romantic 
interest  than  those  of  many  other  towns  in  the  west. 

•  Major-General  Sir  Peter  Melvill,  K.C.B.  (born  in  1803)  ^^s  Secretary 
to  the  Hon.  East  India  Company. 


CHAPTER   II. 

T^he  Early  Years  of  Falmouth. 

THE  town  of  Falmouth,  like  Topsy,  grew  in  its  own 
fashion.  Antagonised  by  Penryn,  Truro,  and 
Helston,  the  Killigrews  fought  successfully  on  its  behalf, 
supported  by  Sir  Nicholas  Halse,  who  adroitly  pointed 
out  the  use  of  a  town  for  supplies  to  ships  and  the  castle, 
and  King  James  responded  by  giving  them  a  free  hand. 
John  Killigrew  had  to  fight  the  neighbouring  landowners 
as  well  as  indignant  corporations  ;  Sir  Richard  Robartes 
Bart.,  and  Sir  John  Arundell  Kt.,  supported  Truro,  Sir 
Francis  Godolphin  Kt.,  engaged  for  Helston,  and 
Richard  Penwarne,  for  Penryn,  all  alike  setting  forth 
with  delightful  selfishness  "  that  the  erecting  of  a  town  at 
Smithike  would  tend  to  the  ruin  and  impoverishing  of 
the  ancient  coinage-towns  and  market-towns  aforesaid, 
not  far  distant  from  thence  ;  and  therefore  humbly  prayed 
the  King's  Majesty  that  the  buildings  and  undertakings  of 
Mr.  Killigrew  might  be  inhibited  for  the  future."  But 
King  James  with  an  amount  of  good  sense  for  which 
his  family  rarely  got  credit,  lent  his  ear  to  the  far-sighted 
governor  at  Pendennis  Castle,  and  sent  a  reply  which 
was  a  model  of  reasonable  wisdom,  together  with  his 
cordial  approval  of  these  new  plans.  Hence  in  twenty 
years  Falmouth  grew  apace,  and  the  four  original 
houses,  licensed  to  be  built,  increased  to  a  village. 

There  was  also  a  rivalry  between  Plymouth  and 
Falmouth.  Carew  says  :  "  Likewise  as  Plymouth 
vaunteth  richer  and  fairer  towns  and  greater  plenty  of 

31 


32  Old  Falmouth. 

fisli  than  F^almoiith,  so  Falmouth  bragiretli  that  a 
hundred  sayle  may  anker  within  its  circuit,  and  no  one 
of  them  see  the  others'  top,  which  Plymouth  cannot 
equal."  In  later  years,  and  at  the  hei.i^htof  its  shipping 
prosperity,  as  many  as  3,000  vessels  have  visited 
F'almouth  in  one  year,  thus  justifying  Leland's  view  of 
the  harbour  that  it  was  "in  a  manner  the  most  principal 
of  all  Britayne."  And  long  before,  as  already  mentioned, 
the  shrewd  old  sailor.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  on  his  return 
from  Guiana,  saw  in  a  moment  the  necessity  for  the 
creation  of  a  town  on  account  of  the  requirements  of 
vessels. 

In  a  very  few  years  from  the  date  of  the  royal  assent, 
Falmouth  commenced  to  grow  into  a  town,  and  in  the 
early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  it  was,  as  described, 
a  little  handful  of  houses  scattered  here  and  there  on 
either  side  of  a  "high  waie "  from  the   Manor-house, 
over   Porhan   Hill,*   to  the  place  now  known    as  the 
Market  Strand,  where  the  buildings  first  began.     A  few 
of  these  houses  seem  to  have  been  inns  for  sailors.    One 
Samson   Hodge  had  a  house    of  that  kind  at  Porhan 
Hill— (which  originally  comprised  a  large  district  not 
built   on,    to    the    north    of    the    Market    Strand,    so 
remaining  as  late  as  1659),— and  beside  it  was  another 
styled   "Scots'   House,"     In  a  map  of   1698,  very  few 
houses  appear  south   of  the  church.     All  rose  in  the 
midst  of  green  meadows.     A  cross  stood  at  the  end  of 
the  present  Woodlane,  whence  a  road  wound  over  the 
hill  in  the  direction  of  Penryn.     It  has  been  frequently 
stated  that  at  this  period  and  until  its  incorporation   in 
1661,     Falmouth     was    known   as    "Smithick,"    from 
"  Smiths'    Creek," — a   smith    who  lived   in   the  village. 
This  smith's  house  is  believed  to  have  been  one  standing 
on  the  left  of  the  street  going  south  from  the  Market 
Strand,    as  it  faced  the  sea  and   was   evidently    built 
*  Porhan  Lane  was  once  known  as  Pig  Street. 


The  Early  Years  of  Fahnouth.  33 

previously  to  the  street,  windows  being  opened  thereto 
afterwards.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  a  fact  that  so  far 
back  as  1478,  William  of  Worcester  called  the  place 
"  Villa  Falmouth  "  and  "  Falmouth "  ;  in  a  map  of 
1500  Falamua  is  recorded,  and  Leland,  1533,  includes 
any  cottages  then  built  in  alluding  to  Falmouth  haven. 
The  spot  was  known  by  this  name  even  earlier  than  any 
of  these  dates,  and  the  first  historical  mention  of  the 
place  was  when  Joanna,  the  Duchess  Dowager  of 
Bretagne,  landed  here  after  a  voyage  of  five  days  and 
nights,  on  her  way  to  wed  Henry  IV,,  on  January  13th, 
1403.  So  that  the  name,  at  least,  is  of  far  greater 
antiquity  than  is  supposed.  The  old  name  of  the  Fal 
was  "  Vale," — hence  Vale-mouth,  called  Valubia  in  the 
time  of  the  Romans.  The  nickname  of  **  Penny-come- 
quick"  is  to  be  found  in  old  documents.  A  cottage 
bearing  the  name  used  to  stand  near  the  ferry  at  Green 
Bank,  where  the  old  dame,  so  often  mentioned,  gathered 
in  her  pennies  for  draughts  of  ale.  This  old  ale-house, 
built  before  1600,*  is  said  to  have  stood  near  the  quay 
opposite  Flushing,  and  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  stone 
steps  to  the  passage-boat  there  are  the  remains  of  an 
ancient  door  or  window  in  the  wall  towards  the  land. 
This  was  to  be  seen  as  late  as  1794.  But  it  is  by  no 
means  certain  that  the  name  of  "  Penny-come-quick" 
was  derived  from  the  ale-house  pennies,  and  neighbour- 
ing towns  were  wont  to  jest  with  this  nickname.  Many 
assert  that  it  was  a  corruption  of  "  Pen-kitm-ick,"  or 
"  Pen-y-cwm-quic,"  the  "  head  of  a  narrow  (or  creek) 
valley." 

At  this  point  it  may  be  well  to  recapitulate  what 
(the  first)  Sir  Peter  Killigrew  did  for  Falmouth.  As 
we  have  seen,  he  got  the  Custom  House  removed  from 
Penryn  and  expended  a  considerable  sum  in  building  a 
quay  for  it ;  obtained  from  the  Commonwealth  Govern- 

*Some  have  stated  1550. 


-^4  OIti  Fiilinoiilli. 

ment  a  patent  for  a  weekly  market  and  two  fairs,  and 
also  a  ferry  from  Falmouth  to  Flushinj^  ;  he  next 
received  the  Charter  from  Charles  II.,  incorporating 
Smithick  by  the  name  of  P'almouth,  as  a  borou/^h  with 
Parliamentary  representation  ;  then  he  gave  the  land 
for  the  church,  which  was  built  through  his  exertions 
and  appeals,  and  finally  at  great  cost  obtained  an  Act 
of  Parliament,  for  creating  a  separate  parish  for  Fal- 
mouth, compensating  the  Vicar  of  Budock  by  an 
annuity  of  ;^3,  to  which  the  Corporation  was  liable. 
This  was  his  chief  work,  unquestionably  very  valuable 
to  the  little  town.  Then  followed  Sir  Peter  (the  second) 
whose  labours  were  less  marked  and  disinterested.  He 
incurred  great  expense  in  establishing  the  limits  of  the 
port,  making  also  many  journeys  to  London  for  this 
purpose,  and  obtained  another  Act  of  Parliament  for 
fixing  duties  to  be  paid  to  him  by  merchant  captains, 
which  ended  the  illegal  traffic  carried  on  by  members 
of  the  Corporation.  All  this  lessened  his  income,  and 
met  with  opposition,  even  when  the  benefits  to  the 
town  were  apparent,  and  the  leading  men  of  the  place 
harassed  him  apparently  at  every  turn.  After  the  death 
of  Ambrose  Jennings,  Bryan  Rogers  took  his  house, 
and  according  to  the  quaint  wording  of  the  Killigrew 
MS., — "for  more  than  20  years  to  ye  time  of  his  death, 
nosed  and  sat  hard  on  all  occasions  upon  Sir  Peter's 
interest  in  ye  heart  of  his  Estate,  and  greatly  to  ye 
detriment  thereof."  The  Arwenack  affairs  were  left  to 
the  management  of  Mr.  Draper,  the  steward,  who  fell 
in  with  the  Corporation,  and  it  is  hinted  received 
bribes  from  the  Manor  tenantry.  While  Mr.  Rogers, 
aided  by  Dennis  Russell,  the  attorney,  influenced  Sir 
Nicholas  Slanning  to  claim  a  field  in  Prisloe,  which 
cost  Sir  Peter  ten  years  litigation  and  ;^i,ooo,  although 
Sir  Nicholas  himself  lost  treble  the  amount.  Sir  Peter 
was  fond  of  books,  study  and  research,  it  seemed,  but 


The  Early   Years  of  Falmouth.  35 

alive  to  his  own  practical  interests,  and  after  Draper's 
defection  he  relied  on  the  Rector  of  the  parish,  whom 
he  had  appointed  to  the  living,  to  look  after  them, 
and  this  he  did  for  ten  years,  residing  at  the  Manor- 
house.  But  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Rogers  in  1693,  his 
house  was  taken  by  his  "apprentice,"  Robert  Corker, 
who  influenced  Mr.  Quarme  to  neglect  Sir  Peter's 
interest  and  to  forward  the  plans  of  the  Corporation, 
the  result  of  which  was  that  in  1700  the  Rector  was 
dismissed,  and  Mr.  Martin  Lister  Killigrew  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place.  Some  of  these  disputes  will  be 
referred  to  later  on,  but  this  is  a  brief  outline  of  the 
commencement  of  hostilities. 

Towards  the  middle  and  latter  part  of  the  century 
the  handful  of  cottages  had  grown  into  a  village, 
houses  had  sprung  up  on  either  side  of  the  winding 
lane  already  spoken  of,  and  the  sharp  turn  at  Church 
corner  revealed  the  newly-erected  Parish  Church,  sur- 
mounted by  a  short  spire.  The  west  front  of  Arwenack 
Manor  looked  out  upon  fields,  on  one  of  which  stood 
a  windmill,  and  the  field  was  long  known  as  the  Wind- 
mill field,  situated  apparently  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
Woodlane  towards  the  town  end.  At  the  Market 
Strand  stood  the  large  house  and  garden  of  Mr.  Ambrose 
Jennings  (which  afterwards  became  Robert  Corker's), 
and  a  few  cottages  climbed  the  lower  part  of  the 
hill  beyond.  The  reason  of  Mr.  Jennings'  comfort- 
able quarters  is  easy  to  understand.  He  was  the 
Collector  of  the  Customs,  and  when  Sir  Peter  Killigrew 
succeeded  in  removing  the  Custom-house  from  Penryn, 
he  granted  to  him  land  on  a  lease  of  a  thousand  years 
on  the  spot  known  long  after  as  Mulberry  Square. 
There  this  contented  gentleman  built  his  house,  laid 
out  his  garden,  and  no  doubt  planted  the  mulberry- 
tree  which  has  ever  since  given  the  place  a  name. 
Penryn  drew  up  a  petition  for  the  restoration  of  the 


36  Old  Falmouth. 

Custom-house  in  1660,  hut  in  v;iin,  :iiul  Truro  and 
the  Corporation  of  Kahnouth  were  unfavourable  to  its 
removal. 

When  the  landing  pier  at  the  Market  Strand  was 
erected  in  1871,  the  remains  of  a  submarine  forest 
were  discovered,  under  a  layer  of  sand,  etc.  Few  of 
the  trees  seemed  over  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  and 
consisted  of  oak,  fir,  and  hazel,  and  also  beech  and 
birch.  It  is  supposed  the  wood  gradually  sank  in  a 
marsh,  after  which  the  flags  grew  abundantly, — the 
whole  being  finally  covered  with  sand.  The  wood 
extended  some  distance  up  the  Moor.  Traces  of 
another  submerged  wood  were  discovered  at  the  Bar 
pools.  Mr.  Whiteley,  C.E.,  made  notes  of  these  facts 
at  the  time. 

An  old  friend  of  Mr.  Nathaniel  Fox's,  who  would 
be  nearly  a  hundred  years  of  age  if  now  living,  recalled 
the  spectacle  of  a  man  in  the  pillory  in  the  Moor,  near 
the  present  fire-engine  station.  His  offence  consisted 
of  cheating  his  employers'  customers  of  the  goods  he 
undertook  to  deliver.  Near  to  this  spot,  and  on  the 
site  of  the  flour  stores  of  Messrs.  Carne,  stood  the  old 
w^ater-mill,  driven  by  the  brook  which  flowed  down 
the  Moor.  Crossing  the  brook  is  still  remembered  by 
one  or  two  very  old  residents,  and  on  the  removal  of  a 
projecting  block  of  houses  between  the  King's  Arms* 
and  the  street,  broken  mill-stones  were  discovered  in 
the  ground.  Even  at  this  time  cobble-stones  paved 
the  streets,  and  as  late  as  181 2  there  still  remained 
gardens  in  the  Moor,  of  which  a  map  is  preserved  at 
the  Manor-office.  The  old  water-mill  must  have  given 
a  picturesque  air  to  the  place  when  it  stood  there,  with 
its  turning  wheel. 

Far   into   the  nineteenth    century   there   stood    on 

*  An  inn  of  tliis  name  stood  at  the  Market  Strand  in  Mr.  M.  L. 
Killigrew's  time. 


'^>. 


;  ^ 


i\^i\  5^   l 


•;  4- . 


X 
!-• 

O 
< 


o 

X 


The  Early  Years  of  Falmouth.  37 

the  site  of  the  present  Primitive  Methodist  Chapel  (at 
Chapel  Terrace),  the  oldest  house  in  Falmouth,  of 
which  a  spirited  lithograph  was  made  by  the  late 
Miss  A.  M.  Fox.  I  have  adapted  from  this  a  copy  in 
pen-and-ink,  which  presents  an  outline  of  the  structure, 
and  shows  the  style  of  abode  and  the  probable  appear- 
ance of  a  part  of  the  town  in  its  earliest  days.  The 
houses  now  occupied  by  the  Working  Men's  Club 
possess  some  pretty  panelled  rooms.  They  still  bear 
the  name  of  Bells'  Court,  and  were  once  the  residence 
of  some  of  that  family, — probably  Mr.  George  Bell, — 
long  known  in  Falmouth.  From  this  spot  some  wide 
brick  chimneys,  bearing  the  date  of  1679,  may  be  seen 
at  the  rear  of  James  Waters'  shoe  shop. 

In  1838  some  old  houses  at  the  Church  corner  were 
removed,  and  this  spot  has  lately  been  widened  again 
by  the  removal  of  another  old  house  at  the  north-east 
corner. 

The  first  volume  of  the  old  Parish  Church  Regis- 
ters,* which  contains  baptisms,  burials  and  marriages 
in  one  book,  throws  light  on  the  small  number  of 
inhabitants  in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
From  the  first,  however,  dissent  had  found  a  home  in 
the  little  town,  and  there  are  references  in  volumes 
relating  to  Cornish  history  of  the  foundation  of  a 
Baptist  Society  between  the  dates  of  1663  and  1671, 
although  it  was  not  fully  established  until  1769.  This 
must  have  irked  the  rector  of  the  period  if  we  may  judge 
from  his  comments  upon  other  faiths,  and  current  events. 
In  the  record  of  burials  there  is  the  outline  of  a  sad 
story — the  death  of  a  girl  who  "  poysoned  herself,  was 
buried  in  ye  highway ;  she  was  an  high-professing 
Anabaptist,  twice  poysoned."     In  1670  another  woman 

*  As  the  older  volumes  of  these  registers  are  being  transcribed  with  a 
view  to  publication,  I  have  copied  but  little  of  the  documentary  matter 
they  contain. 


38  Old  Falmouth. 

is  mentioned,  "  who  drowned  her  self,  buryed  without 
Church  Service  in  ye  Jiif^iiway." 

Tlie  Rev.  lohn  Bedford  overflowed  in  the  register 
ot  baptisms  concerning  "  Popery."  "  1694,  Nov.  9. 
Jane  and  Anne,  Daughrs.  of  Mr,  Lancelot  Stepnye,  a 
Merchant  in  Oporto  by  Hannah  his  wife  who  brought 
over  her  two  foresd.  Daughrs.  for  yt.  ye  Priests  of 
Rome  endeavoured  to  get  them  away  from  Their  sd. 
Parents  (by  stealth  and  bribeing  of  a  maid  servant)  to 
educate  in  ye  Popish  religion."  And  among  the  burials 
in  1665  he  records  one  "  Hawks,"  "who  was  enticed  by 
a  fryar  from  St.  John's  Coll.  in  Cambridge  to  have  gone 
unto  Portugall  but  was  stop'd  here,  by  excessive  drink- 
ing of  brandy  wth.  some  others  for  ye  rump  of  a  goose, 
and  died  suddenly."  It  is  borne  in  upon  one  from 
these  whisperings  of  the  past  how  strong  and  sturdy 
was  the  feeling  against  "  other  peoples  creeds,"  all 
round. 

Other  matters  are  noted.  In  1666  the  burial  is 
entered  of  "Ambrose  Jennens  (sic)  Gent.,  Collector  of 
the  customes  in  the  port  of  Falmth.  who  gave  to  ye 
town  of  Falmth,  £i'j  and  to  ye  Rectr.  then  and  for  ye 
time  being  ye  Interest  of  twenty-five  pounds."  These 
sums  were  then  worth  more  than  treble  the  amounts  in 
these  days,  so  Mr,  Jennings  was  evidently  one  of  the 
town's  benefactors,  and  must  have  greatly  soothed  the 
rector  by  his  bequests.  William  Penleaze  was  "Con- 
trowler  of  ye  Custome  house"  at  this  period,  and 
seems  to  have  succeeded  him. 

All  the  entries,  however,  are  by  no  means  specified 
with  the  same  incisive  clearness.  We  find  elsewhere 
"a  Dutchman,"  "another  Dutchman,"  "and  one  more," 
all  put  down  in  nameless  nationality.  Possibly  they 
were  shipwrecked  and  drowned.  "  John  Perkins  an 
ancient  man,  sometimes  a  Gardiner"  (1655),  gives  a 
delicious  sense  of  leisure  and  repose  at  that  date.     We 


The  Early  Years  of  Fahnonth.  39 

can  picture  poor  old  John  hobbling  round  on  two 
sticks,  "  sometimes  "  gardening,  and  generally  leaning 
over  the  new  quay  wall,  and  gossiping  with  other  such 
ancients.  No  doubt  they  dealt  with  local  news  better 
than  a  newspaper  with  several  columns. 

Mr.  Bedford  was  succeeded  by  John  Quarme,  grand- 
son of  the  Rev.  Walter  Quarme,  rector  of  Mawnan. 
He  was  born  in  Mawnan  in  1643,  and  held  the  office  of 
Rector  of  Falmouth  from  1676  to  1678.  The  Rev. 
Walter  Quarme,  his  nephew,  then  became  rector  from 
1678  to  1727.  Next  followed  the  Rev.  John  Millington, 
until  about  1735,  when  the  Rev.  Edward  Walmsley  was 
presented  to  the  living  by  Mr.  Martin  L.  Killigrew,  and 
held  it  for  sixty  years. 

Mr.  Walter  Quarme  carried  on  the  religious  warfare. 
He  positively  exults  when  it  comes  to  his  turn  to  note 
down  the  name  of  an  offending  parishioner  in  the 
"  buryalls."  In  171 1  one  Richard  Short  died,  "an  old 
Hareticall  Rebell,  so  put  in  ground  without  prayers." 
Nevertheless,  the  Cornishman  held  to  his  own  opinions, 
and  early  in  that  century  various  Methodists  arose  in 
their  might.  In  a  lease  of  1707  mention  is  made  of  "  a 
little  tenement  called  Thomas  Philip's  Tabernacle," 
and  the  register  (1723)  "Certified  a  child  of  Joshua 
Ragland  who  was  interr'd  in  a  new  enclosed  courtlage 
of  a  new-erected  Presbyterian  conventicle  house,  ye 
first  of  ye  Sort  and  Sect  or  faction  in  despite  to  o'  church 
rites."  Again  are  entered,  "  a  child  of  Joshua  Ragland's 
put  in  Atwell's*  Cellar  or  Cave,"  and  1726, "  Dor^ Ragland 
certifyed  to  be  buried  in  John  Attwell's  Cellar,  a  new  Pres- 
byterian Catacombe,"  and  also  a  "  Mrs.  Pitcher,  wid  :" 
consigned  to  mother  earth  "without  prayers."  Such 
were  the  rough  manners  and  harsh  ideas  of  those  days. 

The  record  of  the  burial  of  William  West,  organist, 
in  1724,  proves  that  an  organ  was  used  in  the  church 

*  John  Atwell  owned  property  in  the  town  early  in  the  i8th  century. 


40  Old  FaliuoufJi. 

about  tliis  time,  a  fact  which  Mr.  KiUii^rew  complained 
of  as  manifestiiij^  pride. 

Tre^elles' Meeting-house*  also  began  to  be  heard  of 
at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  there  was 
even  the  Jews'  synagogue,  though  a  few  of  these  seem 
to  have  joined  the  church,  if  we  may  indulge  in  a  sur- 
mise over  a  record  of  the  baptism  of  "  Robert,  son  of 
Jerubbaal  Gideon  "  in  1719.  Another  odd  name  is  also 
recorded  in  the  burials  (1749,  July  9),  that  of  "  Methu- 
selah Kneebone." 

Mr.  Quarme's  ire  is  easily  perceived  in  the  satirical 
references  above,  and  a  parish  with  such  a  mixed  popu- 
lation and  sea-faring  folk  must  have  tried  him  sorely. 

It  is  said  that  the  Cornish  have  many  superstitions, 
but  I  never  heard  of  any  special  current  belief  coming 
under  that  head  in  Falmouth.  Some  good  folks,  how- 
ever, in  the  land  of  the  West,  entertain  very  literal 
views  concerning  the  interpretation  of  Scripture.  An 
old  Cornishman,  dwelling  not  far  from  this  neighbour- 
hood, though  I  will  not  say  P'almouth,  had  to  undergo 
an  operation  which  deprived  him  of  some  of  his  toes. 
Carefully  collecting  the  amputated  portions  of  his  frame, 
he  had  them  deposited  in  the  churchyard  (consecrated 
ground)  in  preparation  for  the  general  resurrection. 
Said  he,  "  I  couldn't  appear  before  the  Lord  with  no 
toeses."  He  would  no  d(3ubt  have  delighted  Mr. 
Quarme. 

John  Wesley  fared  ill  on  his  first  (and,  I  believe, 
only)  visit  to  the  town.  In  a  small  volume  of  Anecdotes 
of  Wesley,  published  by  the  Religious  Tract  Society,  it 
is  recounted  that  Wesley  visited  Falmouth  in  July,  1745, 
and  was  the  object  of  a  serious  riot.  The  mob  attacked 
a  house,  and  broke  open  the  door  of  the  apartment 

*  One  Thomas  Gwin,  who  was  born  in  1656  and  died  in  1728,  was  a 
Quaker,  and  wrote  various  religious  tracts,  endorsed  by  the  Friends,  and 
also  a  Memorial  of  his  daughter  Anne,  who  died  in  17 15. 


The  Early  Years  of  Falmouth.  41 

occupied  by  him,  but  finding  that  he  at  once  fearlessly- 
confronted  them,  the  people  gave  him  a  hearing,  which 
resulted  in  two  of  the  leaders  offering  him  protection. 
A  benevolent  clergyman  aided  others  in  finding  Wesley 
a  safe  retreat  in  Penryn,  but  it  is  regrettable  to  relate 
that  some  of  the  rioters  pursued  him  even  to  that  place, 
although  no  harm  resulted  from  their  persecutions. 
Let  us  hope  that  although  they  were  in  the  town  they 
were  not  "  Falmouthians." 

The  most  curious  collections  used  to  be  made  in  the 
church  for  all  sorts  of  objects,  which  were  noted  down 
in  the  register.  A  few  instances  will  give  an  idea  of 
these  charitable  overflowings  in  all  directions. 

"  1676.  January  28.  Collected  for  John  Pearce, 
being  Sick  and  Weake,  the  Sum  of  14.  5d." 

"  1677.  March  25.  Collected  on  A  Briffe  for  Ed- 
ward Hoken  of  West  Looe,  Being  a  Slave  in  Turkey, 
19.  2d.* 

"July  8th.  Collected  on  A  Briffe  for  the  fire  at 
Southwarke  the  sum  of  £2  13.  6." 

"Aug.  26.  Collected  on  A  Brift'e  for  Benjamin 
Tapley  of  Exon,  being  a  slave  in  gaily,  17.  4d." 

"October  12.  Collected  towards  ye  Redemtion  of 
John  Woodnett,  a  Slave  in  Gaily  :  and  left  in  ye  hands 
of  W"  Joseph,  ^5  13  3d." 

"Collected  for  Jane  Peirce  to  Repaire  her  Boote  the 
sum  of  18.  9d."     (The  "  Boote  "  was  evidently  a  boat.) 

"  July  28.  Collected  on  a  Briffe  for  the  fire  in  ye 
P'ish  of  Wem  in  ye  County  of  Salop,  ye  sum  of  17s." 


'English  men  and  women  were  carried  off  as  slaves  to  Algiers,  and 
some  were  found  there  as  late  as  18 16.  I  conclude  from  the  above  entries 
a  few  were  sometimes  ransomed.  It  was  Lord  Brougham  who  roused  the 
Government  to  take  action  against  these  terrible  piracies,  after  which 
Lord  Exmouth  stormed  the  forts,  liberated  some  1500  Christian  slaves, 
and  crushed  the  practice. 


42  Old  Falnioiith. 

"1678.  Marcli  12.  Collected  Towards  the  Re- 
building of  St.  Paul's  Church  in  London  the  sum  of 
"  (not  stated). 

Collections  were  made  for  all  sorts  of  fires  in  all 
sorts  of  places,  and  for  several  slaves  in  Algiers,  Turkey, 
and  elsewhere,  as  well  as  for  churches  new  and  old. 
One  entry  reads  (1715),  "for  ye  Cow  brief,  10  and 
I  id.,"  evidently  for  the  providing  somebody  with  a  new 
cow.  Then  there  are  sums  for  "  Protestant  fugitives  of 
France,"  and  for  Seamen  who  had  lost  their  ships,  and 
for  "ye  Generall  Redemption  of  Turky  Slaves" — a  large 
order.  In  1697  (Nov.  25),  the  sum  of  £1  12s.  6d.  was 
given  to  "  mr.  Geo.  McKulloamir  from  Ireland,  ruin'd 
by  ye  war,"  and  in  1703  (June  20),  £2  6s.  2^d.  was  "  for 
ye  Releise  of  Stephen  Croskeyes,  who  was  shipwrackt 
and  wounded  in  ye  Benbo  frigate." 

Slaves  and  Protestants  always  opened  the  Falmouth 
purse-strings,  and  the  rector  was  constrained  to  record 
handsome  contributions  even  from  the  "Quakers" — 
not  of  his  fold. 

"  1706,  Aprill  28.  For  french  protestant  Slaves,  re- 
deemed by  her  Majesty  and  brought  over  in  ye  Rupert, 
£2  8.  4d."  Money  in  fact  flowed  far  afield,  for  there 
is  a  surprising  entry  in  1730,  "Aug.  ye  17^"^  for  Copen- 
hagen in  Denmark,  £2  19  o" — possibly  to  repair  the 
ravages  of  a  fire.  Fires  took  place  by  the  dozen. 
Somebody  or  other  seems  to  have  had  a  fire  in 
almost  every  conceivable  place,  and  now  and  then 
there  was  an  inundation.  Slaves,  sailors,  refugees,  "  the 
sicke  and  weake,"  mothers  and  babies,  the  "poore," 
churches,  cathedrals  and  all  were  contributed  to  by 
the  little  Falmouth  congregation,  and  doubtless  by 
many  another  parish  besides.  For  all-round  charities, 
and  bolstering  up  folks  weak  in  pocket  and  condition, 
Falmouth  must  have  beaten  the  record,  even  amid  the 
customs  of  the  time. 


The  Early  Years  of  Falmouth.  43 

Don  Manuel  Alvarez  Espriella,  in  his  Letters  from 
England  (written  in  1802  and  published  in  1808),  re- 
lates the  following  story  :  "  Some  time  since  the  priest 
of  this  place  was  applied  to,  to  bury  a  certain  person 
from  the  adjoining  county.  'Why,  John,' said  he  to 
the  sexton,  '  we  buried  this  man  a  dozen  years  ago,' 
and  in  fact,  it  appeared  on  referring  to  the  books  of  the 
church  that  the  funeral  had  been  registered  ten  years 
back.  He  had  been  bedridden  and  in  a  state  of  dotage 
all  that  time  ;  and  his  heirs  had  made  a  mock  burial  to 
avoid  certain  legal  forms  and  expenses  which  would 
else  have  been  necessary  to  enable  them  to  receive  and 
dispose  of  his  rents." 

The  panic  in  the  church  in  1812  during  which 
Elizabeth  Beach  and  others  lost  their  lives  at  afternoon 
service,  was  due  to  a  false  alarm,  owing  to  some  plaster 
falling  from  the  roof— someone  having  cried  out  that 
the  roof  was  falling.  A  rush  from  the  gallery  resulted 
in  several  persons  being  trampled  on,  in  the  narrow  exit 
by  the  south  door,  which  was  afterwards  closed. 

The  rector's  tax  on  shipping  arrivals  called  poll- 
money,  which  never  amounted  to  much,  fell  into 
disuse,  but  each  succeeding  rector  was  involved  in 
some  dispute  or  other  as  to  the  levying  of  what  was 
called  the  "  rector's  rate."  The  disputes  began  at  a  very 
early  date.  The  Rev.  Walter  Quarme  was  the  first  who 
levied  the  rate  outside  the  municipal  limits,  and  left  a 
justification  of  his  act  in  the  register.  Everyone  knows 
what  this  rate  was,  and  that  in  the  Act  which  separated 
the  parish  of  Falmouth  from  that  of  Budock  (1664),  it 
was  unfortunately  provided  that  "  a  rate  of  sixteen 
pence  in  the  pound  on  the  annual  rent,  should  be 
assessed  by  the  mayor  and  aldermen  on  the  owners  of 
all  houses  in  the  town  and  precincts,  to  be  paid  to 
the  parson." 

The  defection  of  Mr.  Quarme,  no  doubt,  influenced 


44  Old  Falnioiifli. 

Sir  Peter  Killi^rcw  to  in:ike  a  protest  :i^:iinst  wh.it  was 
likclv  to  injure  his  own  property  as  well  as  to  become 
a  burden  on  the  inhabitants  generally,  in  the  same 
(the  first)  volume  of  the  Registers  the  following  memo- 
randum was  made  by  Mr.  Quarme,  on  August  ist,  1700, 
in  his  own  handwriting  : — 

"  Mr.  Martine  Killigrew  sent,  (by  order  of  Sr.  Peter 
Killigrew)  for  all  ye  inhabitants  of  ye  Parish  of  P'almouth 
whom  he  thought  lived  out  of  ye  Corporation,  and  told 
ym  they  had  a  Covenant  in  their  Leases  not  to  do  or 
comitt  or  suffer  to  be  done  or  comitted  any  thing  that 
might  be  prejudiciall  to  ye  Inheritance  of  Sr  Peter  Killi- 
grew and  his  H eyres.  And  yt  ye  payment  of  a  Rate  on 
their  Houses  to  ye  Parson  was  a  great  prej udice,  wherefore 
he  charged  them  all  from  thence  forward  to  pay  no  such 
rate  and  threatened  them  that  if  they  did,  he  would  sue 
their  Covenants  on  ym.,  and  if  they  refused  to  pay  and 
were  sued  by  ye  Parson  for  ye  same  Sr  Peter  Killigrew 
would  defend  ye  Suite  at  his  own  cost. 

"  Sir  Peter  Killigrew  had  consulted  ye  Case  of  assess- 
ing such  a  Rate  on  the  sd.  Houses  with  divers  learned 
Councillors  in  Law  for  severall  years  before,  w'ho  were 
of  opinion  yt.  by  Virtue  of  ye  Act  of  Parliament  for 
settling  ye  Church  and  Rectory  of  Falmo.  such  a  rate 
was  due  to  ye  Parson  and  yt  ye  Major  and  Alderman  of 
P'almo.  had  power  by  ye  said  Act  to  assess  ye  said  houses, 
and  accordingly  they  have  been  rated  without  inter- 
ruption for  above  Thirty  years  past  and  ye  several  rates 
paid  by  ye  sd.  Sir  Peter  Killigrew  and  his  several  Tenants 
without  any  doubt  or  denial  for  one  and  twenty  years 
past  ended  Lady-day  last  to  me. 

Walter  Quarme,  Parson. 

Since  stated  ye  case  to  other  Councill  who  are  clear 
for  ye  payment,  sd." 
W.Q.  1707. 


The  Earl\  Years  of  Falmouth.  45 

Mr.  Quarme  insisted  on  this  right,  which  gave  great 
annoyance  to  Mr.  Martin  KilHgrevv,  who  asserted  that 
the  rate  was  levied  on  houses  not  within  the  Hmits  or 
jurisdiction  of  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen— a  resistance 
which  moved  the  rector  to  angry  comments  from  the 
pulpit.  In  1829  the  Court  of  King's  Bench  decided 
the  Parish  was  included  as  well  as  the  town.  And  it 
took  in  the  end  an  Act  of  Parliament,  more  than  two 
centuries  after  Sir  Peter's  appeal,  to  remove  this  imposi- 
tion on  the  inhabitants,  which  cost  some  ^^2,000*. 

Among  rectors  the  Rev.  Edward  Walmsley  was 
the  patriarch.  He  succeeded  Mr.  Quarme,  and  was 
rector  of  Falmouth  for  the  space  of  sixty  years,  a  period 
far  longer  than  that  of  the  others,  and  remarkable  in 
itself.     He  was  buried  at  Mawnan. 

The  Church  built  in  1662-3,  at  the  instance  of  Sir 
Peter  Killigrew,  is,  of  course,  not  rich  in  antiquities, 
and  such  history  as  it  possesses,  together  with  copies  of 
the  inscriptions  on  the  mural  monuments,  and  those  of 
a  few  of  the  partly  effaced  stones  on  the  floor,  have  been 
already  published  in  1897.! 

Sir  Peter  gave  the  first  rector  a  house  and  garden, 
and  presented  a  handsome  pulpit  cloth  with  gold 
fringe,  and  Mr.  Martin  Killigrew  in  1719  gave  two 
alms-dishes,  thus  recorded  in  Vol  I.  of  the  registers  : 
"  Die  Dominico,  Sat.  i9no.  die  Julii  Ano  Domini  1719 
Memorand  :  This  day  was  dedicated  on  ye  Altar  or 
Comunion  table  by  Mr.  James  Stephens  on  ye  behalf  of 
Martin  Killigrew,  Esq.,  and  afterwards  delivered  into 
ye  hands  and  custody  of  Mr.  John  Hawes  and  Mr. 
Nicholas  Painter  two  Silver  dishes  with  ye  arms  of  ye 
Family  of  Killigrew  engraved  in  ye  middle  of  ye  inside 
of  each  of  them  as  a  free  gift  of  the  sd.  Martin  Killigrew 
Esquire  to  remayn  for  ever  to  ye  use  of  ye  church  of 

*  Provided  as  a  loan  by  Mr.  F.  J.  Homiman,  M.P.  for  Falmouth,  in  1896. 
t  The  Parish  Church  of  Falmouth,  by  S.  E.  Gay. 


46  Old  Falmouth. 

Falmouth  in  yc  Eucharisticall  Worship  of  said  Church. 
Ita  Tester  Gualterus  Quarme.  Rector  ibdm."  The 
combined  \vei;^ht  of  tlie  dislies  is  over  82  ounces.  The 
lar^e  silver  chalice  and  small  paten  inscribed,  "  The 
gift  of  y*  right  Honor^''  Cristian  Countis  Dowager  of 
Devonsheir  toy^  New  Church  of  Falmouth  in  Cornwall. 
An  :  Dom  :  1663,"  are  still  preserved. 

The  remains  of  the  second  Sir  Peter  Killigrew  were 
interred  in  a  vault  in  the  chancel.  Of  others  interred 
within  the  Church  the  names  seem  to  be  (so  far  as  can 
be  ascertained)  Bedford  (the  first  rector,  no  inscription 
extant),  Prowse  (no  inscription),  Corker,  Hosking,  Hall, 
Montgomery  (of  Ireland),  Corlyant,  Bowden,  Moor, 
Hitchcock,  Buli,  F'alck  (illegible),  and  later,  Melvill  and 
Coope.  There  is  no  memorial  or  inscription  relating 
to  the  Killigrew  family.  The  stone  formerly  placed 
over  the  remains  of  the  Rev.  P>ancis  Bedford  con- 
tained the  following  inscription  : — 

Revrdus  Franciscus  Bedford,  A.M. 
Primus  hujus,  ecclesioe  pastor 
Vir  gravis  plus  et  doctus 
Obiit  XXII  die  martu 
An.  Dom.  MLCLXXV 
JEUt  Suae  XXXVII 
Memento  Mori 

The  stone  was  discovered  under  the  Communion 
Table,  on  additions  being  made  to  the  church,  and  was 
unfortunately  broken  into  several  pieces.  A  copy  of 
the  inscription  was  made  in  June,  1813,  by  whom  is 
unknown. 

I  cannot  forbear  remarking  here  that  no  inscribed 
stones  in  any  church  should  ever  be  removed  or  dis- 
placed from  their  original  site,  without  communication 
with  descendants  of  those  they  commemorate,  or  copies 
of  inscriptions  being  recorded  in  connection  with  a 
numbered  plan,  preserved  with  the  registers.     I  have 


The  Early  Years  of  Falmouth.  47 

known  old  inscribed  stones  to  be  turned  out  wholesale 
from  a  church  during  alterations,  and  allowed  to  be 
broken  up  or  used  for  any  purpose — a  deed  which 
ought  to  be  illegal.  It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  most 
modern  rectors  and  vicars  heartily  co-operate  in  the 
preservation  of  all  old  relics  and  antiquities,  and 
frequently  initiate   their   careful  restoration. 


CHAPTER   III. 

The  Last  of  the  Killigrews. 

THE  sunshine  of  prosperity  had  long  ceased  to  fall 
upon  the  family  at  Arwenack,  The  unhappy  and 
childless  marriage  of  Sir  John  Killigrew,  the  destruction 
of  the  greater  part  of  the  fine  old  Manor-house  at  the 
time  of  the  Civil  War,  the  sales  and  sequestration  of 
land,  the  tragic  death  of  the  last  son  and  heir,  and 
finally  the  antagonism  of  the  Corporation  of  Falmouth, 
all  combined  to  render  the  place  one  of  painful 
memories  and  experiences  to  the  Killigrews.  Even 
their  own  friends  in  the  town  turned  against  them, 
while  the  two  or  three  who  remained  faithful  were  said 
to  have  been  ruined.  Mr.  Quarme,  to  whom  Sir  Peter 
had  presented  the  living,  one  whom  Mr.  Martin 
Killigrew  described  as  "  a  Man  of  a  Quick  and  spright- 
ly genius,  remarkably  gratefull  in  all  his  behaviour  to 
Sir  Peter,"  when  appointed  steward  to  the  estate,  ended, 
as  we  know,  in  taking  side  with  the  "  enemies,"  and  the 
result  was  a  long  series  of  differences,  and  sometimes 
le^al  fights,  between  the  lord  of  the  manor,  his  agent  Mr. 
Killigrew,  and  the  leading  officials  of  Falmouth. 

To  go  back  a  little,  it  was,  as  we  have  seen,  Sir  Peter 
Killigrew,  Knight,  (the  first  of  the  name)  who  pushed 
forward  Sir  John's  plans  and  undertakings,  who  obtained 
the  removal  of  the  Custom-house  from  Penryn  to 
Falmouth,  gave  the  land  for  the  Parish  Church,  saw  it 
completed  and  provided  a  rectory.  The  rising  import- 
ance of  the  town  was  clear  to  the  family  ;  they  saw  how 

48 


Ci. 


c 

Cfl"         ° 


n 
X 


y. 


<    S. 

o 


The  Last  of  the  Killigrews.  49 

the  prosperity  of  Falmouth  was  interHnked  with  their 
own  fortunes,  and  desired  to  select  men  for  office  among 
their  own  tenants.  The  charter  of  incorporation  of 
1661  ensured  to  Sir  Peter  and  his  heirs  "all  rights  and 
profits  "  including  markets,  fairs,  ferriage  from  Falmouth 
to  Flushing  and  back,  and  dues  from  the  harbour.  His 
son,  the  second  Sir  Peter,  Bart.,  came  into  ;^7,ooo  a 
year  in  money,  with  the  estates  in  addition,  and  it  was 
in  his  time  the  relations  between  town  and  Manor- 
house  ceased  to  be  cordial.*  His  long  absences  from 
Falmouth  have  already  been  noted,  and  the  hope  of 
prolonged  heirship  through  the  marriage  of  his  only  son 
George  with  Ann,  daughter  of  Sir  John  St.  Aubyn,  must 
have  received  a  most  painful  shock  in  the  son's  sad 
death,  the  only  child  born  to  them  dyin:^  in  infancy. 
Common  as  duels  were  in  those  days,  it  is  said  the 
author  of  this  unfortunate  occurrence,  a  barrister,  seemed 
never  to  have  recovered  from  its  effect  and  as  long  as  he 
lived  was  oppressed  with  remorse.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  for  Sir  Peter,  Falmouth  became  a  place  of  very  sad 
memories.  After  so  much  failure  in  the  part  of  his 
stewards  it  was  natural  that  his  choice  should  fall 
on  one  of  his  own  family  by  marriage,  Mr.  Martin 
Lister  Killigrew,  who  had  taken  his  name  on  the  marriage 
with  his  daughter  Anne  in  1680,  and  on  whose  heirs, 
if  any,  a  large  part  of  the  estates  were  settled.  In  him 
Sir  Peter  enjoyed  a  most  zealous  steward,  who  threw 
his  heart  into  his  work,  and  identified  himself  with  the 
interests  of  his  chief  so  completely  that  he  stands  out  a 
clear-cut  figure,  limned  as  it  were  by  his  own  hand 
through  records  in  manuscripts  and  comments  upon  all 

*  The  Killigrew  MS.  states  that  Mr.  Corker  persuaded  Sir  Peter  to 
sign  a  bye-law  in  or  about  1695  for  the  better  government  of  the  town, 
but  on  a  subsequent  appeal  to  the  Courts,  Lord  Chief  Justice  Holt  declared 
that  the  Charter  could  not  infringe  any  man's  right,  nor  could  any  corpor- 
ation, by  means  of  bye-laws. 


50  Old  Falmouth. 

tluit  took  place  in  Falmouth  .it  tli;it  time.  Many  were 
the  journeys  he  made  to  and  from  London,  and  there 
seemed  nothing  he  did  not  look  into  in  the  town,  his 
attitude  of  mind,  considered  in  connection  with  that 
of  the  Mayor  and  Corporation  reminding  one  of  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses.  Strong  and  vigorous  are  the  notes 
he  made  concerning  leases  of  houses,  and  from  the  old 
papers  are  disclosed  also  bits  of  local  history  worthy  of 
note. 

Looking  over  the  old  lease  book  we  find  that  on  or 
before  1737  the  old  avenue  to  the  Manor-house  had 
been  turned  into  a  rope-walk,  and  was  leased  to 
"Thomas  Deeble,"  who  "  has  granted  him  a  Liberty  or 
Lycence  to  carry  on  his  Trade  of  a  Ropemaker  in  the 
higher  gravelled  walk  of  Arwenack  next  Bond's  and 
Bray's  fields  and  pond.  Terme  Twenty  one  years  from 
Midsummer  1737.  If  the  sd.  Deeble  lives  so  long,  and 
continues  the  sd.  Trade  and  if  the  Grantor  also  live  so 
long.  Full  yearly  value  ;^5."  Falmouth  also  had  malt- 
houses,  dry  houses,  courtlages,  keys  (quays),  and  a 
market  house  situated  at  Market  Strand,*  and  was 
evidently  going  into  business.  Even  Sir  Peter  had  a 
"  fiish-yard,"  and  as  late  as  the  time  of  the  Wodehouses, 
special  clauses  were  inserted  in  leases  binding  the 
holders  to  grind  then-  corn  at  the  Manor  mills,  I  may 
here  state  that  at  this  period  and  for  quite  eighty  years 
later,  the  establishment  of  mills,  brew-houses,  the 
making  of  sails  and  ropes, — then  profitable  with  so  much 
shipping  in  the  port  and  employing  many  hands,— and 
trading  through  the  tempting  agency  of  the  Packets — 
were  occupations  which  chiefly  engaged  gentlemen  of 
birth  and  education,  a  fact  quite  understood  by  the 
older  residents. 

A  map  in  the    Manor  office  of   172 1,    shows,  says 

*0n  the  site  of  the  premises  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Liddicoat;  the  old 
Market  windows  can  still  be  seen  at  the  rear. 


The  Last  of  the  Killigrews.  51 

Jefferey,  that  no  house  stood  to  the  west  of  the  Market 
Strand  and  no  road  was  made  up  the  Moor. 

"The  Great  House,"  leased  to  one  AHsse  (apparent- 
ly) for  three  years  for  from  ^^18  to  £2^  yearly  value, 
has  this  note  upon  it  :  "  Note.  That  ye  above  House 
though  very  large  and  that  it  cost  a  great  sum  of  money 
ye  Building  yet  ye  same  is  not  well  contrived,  but 
would  yield  better  Rent  were  it  divided  into  two 
distinct  Houses."  Thirty  years  later  it  was  so  divided. 
A  Captain  Richard  Upton  rented  "Arwenack  House, 
Walkes,  Orchards,  and  Ponds  free  of  all  ways  through 
or  upon  ye  same "   for  Seven  years  in   1700,   "  Rent 

;^I6." 

This  large  house  must  have  been  Corker's  and 
formerly  Rogers' — the  one  built  by  Jennings  in  Mul- 
berry Square.  Mr.  Bryan  Rogers  was  at  one  time  a  man 
of  substance  and  owned  "  a  Brew-house  "  which  "  stood 
adjacent  to  the  street  leading  to  Canon's  Well,"  near 
Thomas  Tresahar's  premises.  Thomas  Tresahar,  of  the 
old  family  of  that  name,  held  the  "  Windmill  field," 
already  mentioned,  a  spacious  and  altogether  un-Cornish 
sort  of  meadow,  afterwards  divided  into  four  fields,  and 
adjacent  to  the  Bowling  Green. 

Since  Mr.  Rogers  was  very  conspicuous  in  his 
antagonism  to  the  Killigrews,  and  a  prominent  Fal- 
mouthian,  the  information  concerning  him,  given 
by  Tonkin,  may  be  of  interest.  He  says,  "Sir 
Nicholas  Slanning  sold  Trevose  to  Brian  Rogers,  of 
Falmouth,  merchant,  who  left  by  his  wife,  the  daughter 
of  John  Tregeagle,  of  Trevorden,*  one  only  son,  Peter 
Rogers,  who,  dying  under  age,  the  estate  was  sold  to 
pay  his  father's  debts  to  James  Kempe,  of  Penryn. 
.     .     .     The   Manor   ultimately   devolved  to   Nicholas 

*  In  the  Killigrew  MS.  it  is  stated  that  Mr.  Bryan  Rogers  "came  into 
the  great  house  by  marrying  Ambrose  Jening's  daughter,  who  had  built 
it."     He  evidently  married  more  than  oncei 


52  Ohl  Falmouth. 

Kcmpe,  of  Rosteai^ue,  who  was  the  owner  in  1732.  Mr, 
Rogers  gave  for  his  arms,  as  deriving  himself  from  the 
Rogers  of  Cannington,  in  Somersetshire,  Argent,  a 
chevron    between    three    bucks    courant   sable,    attired 


or."* 


Trevose  (situated  in  Mawnan)  atone  time  contained 
the  ruins  of  a  large  house,  once  a  seat  of  the  Killigrews, 
and  it  was  afterwards  sold  to  Sir  Nicholas  Slanning, 
who  is  said  to  have  resided  there  while  governor  of 
Pendennis  Castle. 

The  "  great  house,"  with  its  large  wing  on  one  side, 
was  in  existence  as  early  as  1654,  and  must  have  been 
built  immediately  after  the  removal  of  the  Custom- 
house to  Falmouth.  In  1741,  Mr.  Abraham  Hall,  the 
steward,  wrote  :  "  Mr.  Corker's  Great  House  is  sold  at 
Last  and  is  bought  with  all  ye  books  by  Mr.  Lemon  of 
Truro,  for  what  purpose  is  not  yet  known  ;  'tis  certain 
not  for  his  own  dwelling  because  he  has  lately  Laid  out 
about  _^2,ooo  in  a  new  building  at  Truro.  .  .  .  He 
is  a  Gent  who  has  amassed  a  Large  Fortune  by  Success 
in  Tyn  and  Copper  Workes  ;  what  price  it  Cost  or 
what  he  intends  to  do  with  it  is  not  yet  known  ;  he 
having  built  a  very  fine  house  at  Truro,  he  has  also 
bought  all  ye  books  and  what  furniture  remained  in 
ye  house  unsold."  But  this  arrangement  was  un- 
expectedly ended.  Corker  had  left  creditors,  and  in 
1742  a  London  solicitor  intervened,  who  placed  a  lock 
on  the  house  door,  and  was  confirmed  administrator, 
and  the  conveyance  to  Mr.  Lemon  was  pronounced 
void,  the  house  with  the  effects  having  to  be  sold  for 
the  creditor.  There  was  a  talk  of  putting  it  in  repair, 
and  a  rumour  that  a  Mr.  Moore,  of  Redruth,  "  con- 

*  Over  some  alms-houses  at  Cannington  a  stone  tablet  still  exists  with 
the  following  inscription :  "A.D.  1672.  These  Almshouses  were  founded 
by  Henry  Rogers  for  the  benefit  of  poor  persons  of  the  Parish  of  Cannington." 
Several  families  of  Rogers,  apparently  not  related,  bear  similar  arms,  with 
slight  differentiations,  and  in  some  instances  similar  mottoes. 


^ (^■.-■\ 


1./^ 


S  .       •     lit  I         H»'.  <  -v?! 


x 

V 


i    > 


•^fv 


ADMIRAL     WINCHESTERS     HOUSE. 


The  Last  of  the  Killigrcws.  53 

cerned  in  ye  Tyn  and  Copper  affairs  and  a  considerable 
Creditor  of  Corker's"  intended  to  take  it  "for  his 
Money."  Mr  Lemon,  however,  still  retained  the 
"Goods  and  books,"  for  the  whole  of  which  he  gave 
;^8o,  although  "  the  goods  are  said  to  be  worth  near 
half  of  ye  money,  and  ye  books  cost  little  less  than 
;^i,ooo,  nor  are  they  at  all  damaged."  Probably  few 
cared  to  acquire  such  a  library,  and  there  was  no 
competition.  It  is  mentioned  in  this  connection  that 
Mr.  Broad,  the  master  of  a  Bristol  vessel,  married  in  or 
about  1744  the  sister  of  Mr.  Lemon,  with  the  latter's 
consent,  after  which  they  lived  in  "Cock's  smaller  house." 
In  1749  Mr.  Lemon  bought  the  beautiful  estate  of 
Carclew,  from  Mr.  James  Bonython.  He  died  in  March 
1760,  "  worth  ;^300,ooo,  the  bulk  of  which,  Mr.  Hall 
wrote,  is  left  to  his  grandson,  eleven  years  of  age." 

Finally,  Mr.  Winchester  had  part  of  the  house  gratis 
for  the  Assemblies.  Mrs.  Winchester,  wife  of  Admiral 
Winchester,  was  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Corker's. 

Some  twenty  years  later  a  little  more  information 
cropped  up  about  the  house,  recorded  by  Mr.  Davis,  the 
succeeding  steward.  "  Corker's  house  was  sold  several 
years  ago  by  a  creditor  who  seized  it  to  one  Ungar,  a 
Dutch  smuggling  Captain  of  a  Ship,  who  lived  at 
Flushing,  and  who  being  since  dead  'tis  now  held  by 
his  widow.  The  house  has  received  a  thorough  repair 
and  setts  to  3  Tenants  for  about  ;^6o  a  year. 
Ungar  gave  ;^8oo  for  it,  and  about  the  same  time 
bought  two  other  houses  in  Falmouth.  He  was  at 
last  lost  in  a  voyage  to  Holland,  neither  ship  nor  people 
having  been  ever  heard  of  after  they  sailed  from  here 
on  their  Voyage."  It  must  have  been  greatly  neglected 
as  Mr.  Davis  remarked,  "  I  do  not  think  that  Ungar  had 
much  of  a  bargain  in  Corker's  house,  although  it  was 
not  so  ruinous  as  to  make  a  thorough  repair  little  short 
of  a  re-building.     It  is  now  let  to  three  tenants." 


54  Old  Fabiioiith. 

After  this  the  history  of  the  old  house  recedes  from 
view,  I  have  found  no  trace  of  a  picture  of  it,  and  it 
was  at  last  pulled  down  in  the  latter  part  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  and  few  can  now  point  out  the  site  on 
which  it  stood.     Sic  transit  gloria  inuiuii ! 

One  small  corner  of  land  called  "Clawgye"  was 
omitted  in  the  record,  which  drew  from  the  watchful 
pen  of  Mr.  Killigrew  the  comment,  "  Most  of  ye  parish 
of  Budock  as  well  as  ye  parish  of  Mawnan  next  ajoyn- 
ing,  being  ye  Killigrew's  Land.  When  ye  sd.  Lands 
were  sold  this  little  piece  was  forgott." 

People  seem  to  have  leased  fields  as  a  kind  of 
luxury.  In  1727  "a  Shooemaker  holds  two  Downfields 
joining  the  Swanpoole  for  ^^3."  Of  '*  great  houses  "  there 
were  more  than  one.  References  are  made  to  "  Nowell's 
Snoxell's  great  house,"  and  "  Cock's  Great  House." 
Snoxell  was  at  one  time  secretary  to  Mr.  Killigrew,  in 
London,  and  William  Cock,  son  of  Richard  Cock,  the 
"  Tyde-Surveyor "  (who  married  "Mrs.  Margery 
Draper"  in  1692),  married  Arabella,  daughter  of  Sir 
Nicholas  Trevanion.  William  Pye,  who  died  in  1750, 
was  Collector  of  the  Customs  and  (so  stated)  of  the 
Salt  Tax,  while  Philip  Nowell  was  in  prosperous  busi- 
ness in  the  town,  (chiefiy  by  the  carriage  of  goods  to 
and  from  the  Packets).  From  this  reference  to  size  it 
would  seem  that  the  majority  of  the  houses  were  small, 
rather  than  that  the  others  were  very  big, — in  fact,  until 
late  in  the  eighteenth  century,  the  houses  in  and 
adjacent  to  Arwenack,  Swanpool,  and  the  New  Streets, 
formed  a  sort  of  "  Quality  Corner,"  and  various  lead- 
ing residents  dwelt  in  what  would  now  be  considered 
abodes  of  no  pretensions  as  to  appearance.  And  the 
same  was  true  of  Flushing  in  its  palmy  days.  It  is 
recorded  (1771)  that  "  Cock's  lesser  house  was  .  .  . 
bounded  to  the  East  by  the  street.  West  by  the  New 
Street,  North  by  Humphrey  Barnicoat's  house,  and  the 


The  Last  of  the  Killigrews.  55 

South  by  Cock's  great  house  ;  the  street  on  the  way  to 
the  meadow-houses  called  the  New  Street,  the  South  by 
the  lane  on  the  way  leading  to  the  Swanpool."  East  was 
apparently  Swanpool  Street,  and  it  seems  to  have  been 
one  of  the  (lately)  condemned  houses  in  New  Street, 
which  on  the  side  facing  the  harbour  is  three  stories 
high.  Cock's  "  great  house  "  was  apparently  a  larger 
one  down  in  Arwenack  Street. 

Mr.  Cock,  Senior,  was  styled  "  a  creature  of 
Corker's  "  by  Mr.  Killigrew,  which,  being  interpreted, 
means  that   he  was  probably  peaceful  in  disposition. 

Daniel  Gwyn,  a  Packet-Commander  of  early  period, 
built  over  the  street  in  1695,  calling  forth  an  emphatic 
"  note  "  to  the  effect  that  *'  in  rebuilding  his  House  he 
hath  brought  ye  sd.  House  into  ye  street  upon  Fillers 
Several  foot  beyond  what  ye  old  house  was."  History 
does  not  record  the  result.  Captain  Gwyn  was 
petitioned  against  in  1690  by  Mr.  John  Russell,  ''  con- 
cerning pacquet  boats  from  Falmouth  to  Corunna," 
and  was  subsequently  stated  to  be  ruined  by  Mr. 
Corker  and  the  Corporation.  He  was  said- — whether 
correctly  or  not  I  cannot  say — to  have  been  not  only 
"  agent  of  the  Pacquets,"  but  Collector  of  the  Customs 
also.  Rents  were  not  ruinous.  Seven  acres  and  a 
dwelling-house  near  "  Gyllinvase "  are  valued  at  ^^14 
per  annum. 

The  Russell  family  also  come  in  for  some  smart 
raps.  "  Denis  Russell,  junr.,  1695,  .  .  .  holds  his 
chandler's  House.  Denis  Russell  ye  father  is  owner  of 
this  Tenem'.,  Denis  his  son  being  only  nominal  Leasee, 
ye  Father  scorning  to  become  Tenant  in  his  own  per- 
son, who,  as  well  as  all  ye  rest  of  his  family,  joyning 
with  Sir  Peter  Killigrew's  Enemies,  oppose  his  interest 
in  all  things  they  can.  .  .  .  Note,  that  upon  farther 
consideration  of  Sir  Peter's  interest  I  have  closed  with 
ye  old  Denis  ye  father  and  made  use  of  him   in  Sir 


56  Old  Falmouth. 

Peter  Killi^rew's  concerns  to  my  satisfaction."  This 
reads  as  though  accompanied  by  an  inward  chuckle. 
Mr.  Russell  is  described  as  the  late  common  clerk,  or 
town  clerk,  of  F'almouth,  in  an  old  document.  A 
monument  to  the  memory  of  "  John  Kussell,  Gent.," 
(son  of  Denis  Russell),  who  died  in  1734,  is  affixed  to 
the  south  wall  of  the  Parish  Church.  A  coat  of  arms 
is  carved  on  the  tablet.  But  internecine  warfare 
between  the  Manor-house  and  the  Corporation  had 
become  chronic.  Among  other  things  the  Market- 
house  much  exercised  Mr.  Killigrew  —  "it  being  the 
interest  and  practice  of  all  Corporations  to  encroach 
upon  their  Neighbours.  ...  So  that  it  is  my 
opinion,  that  though  this  Corporation  may  be  trouble- 
some to  any  other  person  or  persons,  who  might  have 
a  Sett  of  this  Markett  House,  soe  as  to  obstruct  and 
hinder  their  making  ye  most  of  ye  same  ;  yet  it  is  more 
for  ye  interest  of  ye  Lord  of  this  Estate,  to  sett  ye 
Markett  House,  and  ye  Revenues  thereof,  to  any  other 
person  or  persons  (tho  at  a  Less  value)  who  by  his 
diligence,  courage,  and  perseverance,  would  endeavour 
to  make  ye  most  of  it,  In  despite  of  ye  Corporation."* 
I  should  add  that  Giles  Draperf  was  another  Town 
Clerk  at  this  period. 

And  Mr.  Richard  Cock,  the  "  Tyde  Surveyor," 
(1697)  inspired  adverse  comments  about  a  "Watch 
House  on  ye  Key," — "it  being  supposed  that  the 
Builder  would  take  out  a  Lease  for  lifes  and  pay 
High  Rent  as  all  people  doe  who  build  on  ye 
Estate."  Finally  Mr.  Cock  was  subdued  and  the 
rent  was  paid. 

•The  market  was  leased  by  Mr.  Quarme's  influence  in  1693  for  the 
second  time  on  a  21  years'  lease  for  £20  a  year  instead  of  £iOO,  and  on  Mr. 
Killigrew's  refusing  to  renew  it  on  those  terms,  the  Corporation  became 
highly  indignant. 

t  The  Rev.  Francis  Draper  (second  son  of  yEgydius  Draper)  was  born 
in  Falmouth  in  1660.  He  was  Dean  at  Cambridge,  and  rector  of  Fram- 
lingham — no  doubt  of  the  same  family  as  Giles  Draper. 


The  Last  of  the  Killigrews.  57 

Mr.  Killigrew  had,  however,  a  soft  spot  in  his  heart. 
For  one  Chastity  Prust  he  was  considerably  moved, 
and  had  "  some  compassion  to  the  poor  woman,  having 
bred  up  by  her  labour  5  Children  ";  and  he  gave  the 
old  Town-hall  in  High  Street  to  the  Corporation,  and 
presented  them  with  new  maces  which  cost  him  ;£ioo. 

The  ferry  was  at  this  time  rented  at  £-},  yearly. 
"  Note,  that  this  has  been  greatly  abused  by  neglect 
in  soe  much  that  at  this  time  it  is  hardly  worth  ye 
above  value  sett  upon  it.  Tho  if  good  attendance  were 
given  the  thing  might  rise  to  a  higher  value  in  all 
probability."  As  it  certainly  did  not  long  after.  Later 
on  Mr.  Killigrew's  attention  was  much  occupied  with 
his  Pyramid  and  his  Manuscripts,  one  of  which  was 
written  by  Mr.  Edward  Snoxell. 

The  manuscript  in  question  (or  manuscripts,  for 
there  were  certainly  two,  of  which  copies  were  made 
besides),  was  written  by  Mr.  Killigrew,  or  at  his  dictation, 
as  a  guide  for  successors  to  the  estates,  and  a  reply  to  the 
complaints  of  the  Corporation  that  they  were  without 
funds  at  their  disposal  for  offtcial  purposes.  It  gives 
instances  of  what  he  considered  the  ingratitude  or 
grasping  methods  of  the  Falmouth  faction,  and  cites 
the  following  points  : — That  tenants  of  the  Killigrews 
were  excluded  from  the  Corporation  ;  that  the  latter 
body  levied  fines  on  those  who  entered  into  business  in 
the  town,  and  attempted  to  impose  certain  unjust  taxa- 
tions ;  that  Sir  Peter's  endeavour  to  supply  the  town 
with  water  was  frustrated  by  trickery,  thereby  ruining 
his  water-mill*   and  rendering  his  reservoirs  useless  ; 


*  These  mills  and  mill-houses  were  erected  about  1672  by  Sir 
Cornelius  Vermuyden  (a  celebrated  Dutch  engineer,  knighted  by 
Charles  I.  in  1629)  at  a  cost  of  £700.  The  site  of  the  buildings  was 
thought  by  Mr.  Jeffery  to  have  been  near  the  Friends'  Meeting-house, 
at  a  place  known  as  "Mill-house  Row."  The  mill-pool  became  a  stone 
quarry.     The  circumstances  are  fully  related  in  the  MS. 


58  Oil!  Faliiioiitli. 

that  vexations  law-suits,  throu;4h  the  influence  of 
Mr.  Rollers,  involved  Sir  Peter  in  the  loss  of  -Lt^,ooo  ; 
that  Mr.  Quarme,  beinij  corrupted  by  these  independent 
FahiKnithians,  occasioned  a  loss  of  many  thousands  of 
pounds  by  leasins^  at  too  low  a  figure  ;  that  they  wanted 
an  organ  in  the  church,  to  be  paid  for  by  poor  rates  from 
the  tenants,  and  gave  no  account  of  the  rates  they  col- 
lected ;  that  they  sought  to  ruin  Sir  Peter's  adherents, 
and  that  endeavours  were  made  (alluded  to  later)  to 
exclude  a  large  vessel  from  refitting,  etc.,  in  Falmouth, 
because  the  Corporation  did  not  benefit  by  it  ;  and 
finally,  that  certain  of  them  helped  to  acquit  a  soldier 
who  was  tried  for  stabbing  and  killing  a  Dutchman,  by 
influencing  the  judge  and  jury, — to  all  of  which,  the 
writer  says,  "  I  could  add  considerably."  Both  sides 
seemed  to  have  had  a  keen  eye  to  revenues,  and  neither 
seemed  to  have  had  any  patience  with  each  other. 

On  the  other  hand,  Sir  Peter  was  inclined  to  be 
high-handed  and  a  stern  landlord.  The  MS.  simply 
states  that  he  had  for  many  years  appealed  for  justice 
with  regard  to  Pendennis  Castle,  and  at  last  that  the 
Government  took  it  on  a  lease  of  twenty-one  years  at 
;^'20o  rent  per  annum.  This  is  all.  But  among  the 
Treasury  papers  there  is  evidence  that  in  1688,  with  an 
armed  force,  he  took  Crown  money,  some  ;^2oo,  from 
Mr.  John  Kent, — the  collector  of  the  port  of  Penryn — 
for  repairing  the  castle,  (in  which  he  confined  the  poor 
man),  declaring  that  the  King  was  his  tenant.  Then 
the  obligations  which  the  leaseholders  were  under  as  to 
grinding  corn,  yielding  market-toll,  providing  capons, 
and  paying  extra  rent  in  certain  events,  as  well  as  strin- 
gent regulations  about  repairs, — all  of  which  lasted  as 
late  as  1761, — were  irksome,  and  showed  that  disputes 
were  invited  rather  than  avoided,  and  that  the  manorial 
claims  were  enforced  with  less  consideration  and  sym- 
pathy for  the  growing  little  town  than  should  have  been 


The  Last  of  the  Killigreivs.  59 

the  case.  Mr.  Killigrew  bore  the  attitude  of  a  fighting 
soldier  rather  than  a  keen-sighted  diplomatist,  and  his 
zeal  in  behalf  of  the  family  possibly  did  as  much  harm 
as  the  negligence  of  his  predecessors.  But  it  is  im- 
possible not  to  smile  over  some  of  his  quaint  records  of 
grievances. 

Under  all  these  circumstances  the  idea  of  the 
Pyramid  rose  as  a  benignant  star  on  the  mind  of  the 
sorely-tried  gentleman,  and  doubtless  soothed  his  spirit. 
A  number  of  letters  written  by  him,  mostly  on  gilt- 
edged  paper,  from  1736  to  1738,  and  addressed  to  Mr. 
Abraham  Hall,  his  successor  in  stewardship,  evince  the 
interest  he  took  in  arranging  for  its  erection.  What 
would  he  have  said  if  he  had  known  that  this  beloved 
monument,  solidly  built  of  Constantine  granite,  would 
be  removed  twice  before  being  allowed  to  stand  in 
peace  ! 

Directions  for  every  detail  are  given,  even  to  the 
providing  against  the  "  carrs  breaking  up  the  ground," 
and  the  fixing  of  the  cramps.  "  Ragland  must  trim  a 
thin  board  just  to  the  thickness  of  the  Lime  in  the 
joynt  between  the  Stones,  then  two  stones  put  together 
with  that  Board  between,  the  Stone  cutter  workes  his 
Cavity  for  the  Cramp  :  then  gifts  a  Cramp  to  fitt  it," 
etc.  ''  By  wch  means  you  have  all  your  Cramps  and 
Cavities  ready  at  once,  before  you  begin  to  Lay  the 
Row,  that  is  foursquare."  Mr.  Killigrew  desired  that 
his  pyramid  should  have  no  inscription, — "  not  so 
much  as  the  Date  of  the  Year  ;  Hoping  it  may  remain  a 
beautifuU  embellishment  to  the  Harbour,  Long,  Long, 
after  my  Desireing  to  be  forgott,  as  if  I  had  never  been," 
and  alludes  to  it  as  "  a  darling  thing  I  am  never  to 
See."  Its  cost  was  considerable  for  those,  or  in  fact, 
any  days— over  £^S^,  but  it  is  very  broad,  and  the 
gradual  sloping  off  of  the  stones  must  have  made  a 
good    deal   of    work  for   John    Ragland,    the   mason. 


6o  Old  Fabnotith. 

Beckford,  in  his  Travels  (1787),  describes  its  original 
site: — "Just  out  of  the  town,  in  a  sheltered  recess  of 
the  bay,  hes  a  grove  of  tall  elms,  forming  several 
avenues,  carpeted  with  turf.  In  the  central  part  rises  a 
stone  pyramid,  about  30  feet  high,*  well  designed  and 
constructed,  but  quite  plain  and  without  any  inscrip- 
tion." It  formed  the  centre  of  a  grove  which  opened 
out  on  a  clear  space  in  front  towards  the  harbour,  and 
the  rather  townlike  row  of  houses  known  as  Grove 
Place — one  of  the  old  blunders  of  Falmouth  from  a 
picturesque  point  of  view — was  the  cause  of  its  first 
removal  and  the  destruction  of  these  beautiful  trees. 
The  poor  monument  then  figured — in  1836 — higher  up 
the  hill,  not  far  from  the  old  head  of  the  rope-walk 
now  no  longer  to  be  seen,  and  from  there  the  railway 
again  ousted  it,  and  it  was  rebuilt  in  1871  on  a  little 
green  in  front  of  the  old  Manor-house,  the  site  of  the 
old  semaphore  station,  in  which  suitable  spot  let  us 
hope  it  will  remain  in  final  quietude. 

The  pyramid  was  no  doubt  a  consolation  to  Mr. 
Killigrcw, — who  paid  his  last  visit  to  Falmouth  in  1725, 
— something  about  which  nobody  could  contradict  him, 
for  from  his  own  point  of  view  he  had  much  to  bear. 

But  I  regret  to  say  that  even  here  popular  opinion 
did  not  coincide  with  his  pet  project.  In  1765 
Mr.  Davis,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Hall,  was  fain  to 
admit, — "The  Pyramid  is  in  statu  quo,"  (in  the  Grove,) 
"  but  it  is  now  as  it  has  always  been,  much  ridiculed  as 
a  heavy  lump  of  stone,  neither  ornamental  nor  useful." 
However,  since  these  words  were  penned  a  hundred 
and  forty  years  have  come  and  gone,  and  the  Pyramid 
has  become  venerable.  It  has  therefore  the  dignity  of 
age,  and  is  a  solid  memorial  of  its  projector. 

Among  other  tribulations,  Mr.  Quarme,  the  rector  of 
the  parish,  the  man  he  pictured  as  "  of  a  quick  and 

*  The  actual  height  is  40  feet,  but  it  is  14  feet  square  at  the  base. 


The  Last  of  the  Killigrews.  6i 

sprightly  genius  and  remarkably  grateful  in  all  his  be- 
haviour to  Sir  Peter,"  had  proved  a  turn-coat,  and  Mr. 
Killigrew  accordingly  described  him  in  a  later  page  as  a 
"  vain-glorious  empty  busy  man."  For  alas  !  "  the 
said  Corker  insinuated  himself  so  with  Mr.  Quarme," 
that  he  went  over  to  the  enemy,  and  so  did  a  host  of 
others,  including  Mr.  Daniel  Gwyn,  collector  of  the 
customs,  and  agent  of  the  "  Pacquets."  Mr.  Quarme, 
however,  caught  it  from  Sir  Peter's  widow,  who 
addressed  to  him  a  "  scathing  letter  of  reproach,"  still 
preserved. 

The  manuscripts  also  detail  the  skirmish  about  the 
Great  Pearl,  a  Dutch  privateer  of  50  guns,  and  400  men. 
Stephen  Read,  a  long-headed  Quaker,  had  obtained  ex- 
clusive possession  of  the  benefits  arising  from  such 
visitations  to  the  harbour,  and  Mr.  Corker,  who  had  led 
the  Corporation  for  more  than  thirty  years,  set  to  work 
to  get  rid  of  the  vessel.  They  therefore  gave  out  that 
it  was  infected  with  the  plague.  Upon  this  Mr. 
Killigrew  "  being  upon  the  spot,"  went  on  board,  and 
found  some  wounded  and  one  hundred  down  "  of  the 
Scurvy,  whom  I  took  all  on  shore,  sick  and  well,  except 
the  Officers  ;  who  desired  to  stay  on  board  to  tend  ye 
business  of  the  ship  ;  ye  most  sick  I  lodged  in  the  stable 
and  barn,  upon  fresh  straw,  ye  rest  under  ye  hedge  in 
the  walk,  some  under  tents  of  their  sails,  others  only 
upon  straw  ;  when  by  the  blessing  of  God,  diligent  care, 
mutton  broth,  water  grewel,  and  lemons  and  oranges  in 
their  small  beer,  with  a  prudent  mixture  of  brandy,  and 
the  assistance  of  their  own  two  expert  surgeons,  I  had 
the  pleasure  to  see  them  all  sett  upright  again."  This 
was  a  double  triumph  of  benevolence  and  manorial 
authority. 

In  the  course  of  the  correspondence  alluded  to  many 
droll  matters  crop  up.  Colonel  West,  being  about  to 
visit  Arwenack,  with  "  a  young  Gentleman,"  presumably 


62  Old  Falmouth. 

Mr.  Merrill,  instructions  were  sent  down  as  to  due 
preparations,  which  included  "  the  best  Cook  your 
Town  affords  :  Some  choice  good  Hambs  and  a 
provision  of  fatt  chicken  ;  .  .  .  and  if  any  fine 
Green  Tea  be  to  be  had,  you  must  Secure  Some  of  it 
as  what  ye  Col.  is  most  nice  in,  and  Drinking  much  off  ; 
Two  of  ye  Largest  Tea  Potts  you  can  borrow.  He  using 
them  both  at  a  time  ;  Nice  and  knowing  beyond  ye 
common  in  providing  a  Table."  .  .  .  "  If  I  do  not 
greatly  mistake,  this  flurry  canot  continue  above  three 
weeks,  for  that  their  impatience  will  be  greater  to  git 
back  to  Bath,  than  it  is  to  see  Falmo." 

One  is  almost  surprised,  that  with  all  this  activity  of 
mind,  and  eager  and  minute  interest  in  things  mundane, 
stones  and  cramps,  fat  chicken  and  tea-pots,  and  even 
directions  to  Mr.  Hall  to  appear  to  the  Colonel  "  with  a 
pen  in  his  Ear" — as  a  sign  of  business, — to  find  Mr. 
Killigrew  observes — "  But  at  present  the  thoughts  of 
Leaveing  this  World  are  farr  from  being  Disagreeable 
to  me,  relishing  nothing  in  it,  and  yet  affected  with 
Disagreeable  Insidents  happening,"  and  that  he  "sup- 
ports a  Wretched  Life,''  taking  constitutionals  in 
Kensington  Gardens,  reading  "an  Amuseing  Book," 
and  daily  performing  a  "Progression  of  9  Miles,  6  in  a 
Coach  and  3  on  foot." 

In  relation  to  this  I  may  remark  that  private  as  well 
public  trouble  beset  Mr.  Killigrew.  The  Eriseys — 
husband  and  wife — as  we  have  seen  had  lived  apart,  the 
wife  taking  refuge  with  him,  together  with  the  only 
daughter.  In  1701  Mr.  Erisey  sued  Mr.  Killigrew  for 
keeping  his  daughter  from  him,  but  she  refused  to 
return  to  her  father,  and  had  left  him  under  her  mother's 
influence.  After  the  trial  she  remained  with  Mr. 
Killigrew  until  she  married  Colonel  West,  who  was  a 
man  of  fortune.  No  reconciliation  ever  seemed  to  take 
place  between  the  parents.     Mr.  Erisey  died  in  1759. 


The  Last  of  the  Killigrews.  63 

Perhaps  it  was  at  this  time  he  was  "  upon  leaving 
behind  me  something  historically  of  the  ffamily,"  which 
resulted  in  the  MS.  already  mentioned  and  partly  pub- 
lished in  volumes  of  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution 
of  Cornwall,  wherein,  as  we  have  seen,  many  things  are 
set  forth  against  the  Falmouth  Corporation  and  certain 
of  its  members. 

In  truth,  these  officials  were  full  of  the  interests 
pertaining  to  business,  while  Mr.  Martin  Killigrew  was 
pledged  to  the  interests  of  "  Sir  Peter,"  who  had  been 
uncompromising  as  a  landlord.  They  regarded  the 
town  from  different  points  of  view.  When  Mr.  Bryan 
Rogers— who  was  the  head  of  the  hostile  faction,  and 
induced  others  **  to  nose  Sir  Peter  in  his  own  town," — 
died  in  1693,  in  greatly  reduced  circumstances,  Mr. 
Robert  Corker  succeeded  to  the  "great  house," — (he 
bought  this  and  its  contents) — "  pride,  and  enmity 
to  Sir  Peter,"  and  "  so  continued "  for  more  than 
thirty-five  years. 

Mr.  Killigrew  states  that  the  said  Corker  was  "a 
poor  boy  kept  in  charity  by  John  Newman,  his  mother's 
brother,  an  attorney,"  but  like  such  assertions  the  state- 
ment is  worth  little,  for  whatever  misfortune  attended 
Robert  Corker  in  his  boyhood  or  affected  his  parentage 
he  belonged  to  an  ancient  and  landowning  stock.  His 
father  was  a  ship's  surgeon,  who  died  leaving  his  little 
family  without  provision.  His  brother  was  apparently 
the  naval  officer  whose  monument,  dated  1700,  is 
the  oldest  on  the  walls  of  the  parish  church,  and  bears 
his  coat  of  arms.*  Robert  Corker  was  one  of  the 
Receivers-General  of  the  Duchy  of  Cornwall,  and  M.P. 
for  Bossiney  in  1721  and  1728,  and  died  in  1731.       He 

*  The  tablet  states  that  Thomas  Corker  was  engaged  in  an  expedition 
against  the  Moors  in  Gambia,  where  he  proclaimed  the  supremacy  of  the 
British  flag,  and  that  his  distinguished  bravery — bought  by  his  life — had 
made  his  name  known  in  England  and  Africa.     He  died  in  Falmoutli. 


64  Old  Falmouth. 

paved  the  cluirch  and  chancel  at  his  own  cost,  and  gave 
a  marble  floor  for  the  communion  table,  "rayled  in  ye 
same  with  wainscott,"  and  ceiled  or  wainscotted  the 
eastern  end  of  the  chancel  wall.  All  of  which  are 
recorded  in  the  first  volume  of  the  register  as  "good 
and  pious  deeds." 

From  one  point  of  view  we  can  sympathise  with 
Mr.  KiUigrew.  He  was  evidently  a  man  of  active  mind 
and  eager  temperament,  and  greatly  occupied  about  the 
matters  of  his  stewardship,  which  dated  from  1700 
to  1735-  Picture  the  feelings  he  must  have  experienced 
in  finding  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  established 
by  his  own  family  were  bent  upon  their  own  affairs  and 
blind  to  Sir  Peter's  !  Had  not  Sir  John  Killigrew 
laboured  to  create  a  town  as  far  back  as  161 3  or 
thereabouts  ?  Did  not  the  first  Sir  Peter  obtain  a 
proclamation  that  the  nicknames  of  "Smithike"  and 
"  Penny-come-quick "  should  be  exchanged  for  the 
older  and  more  dignified  designation  of  Falmouth, 
obtain  a  grant  for  a  weekly  market,  and  procure  a 
Charter  for  the  place  ?  Had  he  not  measured  out  the 
ground  for  the  parish  church  and  obtained  donations 
from  various  notabilities  for  its  erection,  and  assigned  to 
the  rector  and  his  successors  a  house  and  garden  ? 
Had  he  not  also  established  the  custom-house  on  his 
quay,  the  former  being  "  removed  from  Penryn  to 
Falmouth "  ?  Did  not  the  second  Sir  Peter  lose  a 
thousand  pounds  over  a  field  worth  a  hundred  owing  to 
the  corporation,  and  vainly  spend  his  money  to  supply 
the  town  with  water,  opposed  both  by  its  magnates  and 
a  neighbouring  landowner  ?  Did  not  Mr.  Martin  Lister 
Killigrew  himself  present  church-plate  and  the  Town- 
hall  and  the  maces  ?  And  did  he  not  befriend  a 
poor  shoemaker  nearly  ruined  by  the  bye-laws  relating 
to  new  shops  ?  Was  ever  family  so  little  recognised,  or 
faithful  steward  so  set  by  the  ears  ?      To  think  that  the 


The  Last  of  the  Killigrews.  65 

very  rector  they  had  appointed  should  "  in  the  pulpit " 
preach  against  him  ''  and  that  to  his  face,"  and  that  Mr. 
Rogers  should  have  privately  proposed  to  his  brethren 
to  "lay  Sir  Peter  by  the  heels"  (in  the  stocks),  "as 
Sir  Peter  had  it  afterwards  from  the  mouth  of  one  of 
them  ! "  No  wonder  Mr.  Killigrew's  manuscript 
concludes  with  the  expression  of  the  belief  that  these 
"  Lords  Incroachments,"  unless  they  were  brought  to 
reason  would  make  "  Breach  into  ye  estate  to  the 
utter  ruin  of  it,"  and  that  on  his  retirement  from  the 
scene  of  his  labours  and  warfare  to  the  insipid  repose 
of  Kensington  at  the  age  of  71,  he  wrote  that  he 
"  relished  nothing  in  the  world";*  although,  by  the 
way,  even  at  that  time  he  evinced  considerable  spirit 
about  his  obelisk.  Thirty-five  years  of  such  experiences 
were  surely  enough. 

The  inhabitants  of  Falmouth  were  always  sturdy. 
Cornishmen  generally  are.  To  get  on  with  them  one 
must  adopt  fraternal  methods.  And  their  staunch 
fidelity  will  be  as  marked  as  their  sense  of  due  rights  is 
emphatic.  A  friend  of  mine  once  resided  in  a  remote 
Cornish  village.  Outside  a  little  shop  owned  by  a 
cobbler  she  noted  a  stone,  and  imbued  with  a  spirit  of 
antiquarian  research,  she  stepped  inside  and  inquired 
what  particular  antiquity  this  stone  might  represent. 
"  That,"  replied  the  owner  with  gracious  pride,  "  be 
mine.     It   tells   w^here   my   property   begins   and    Mr. 

's  ends."     Mr.   was   the   Squire   of   the 

neighbourhood,  his  domain  extending  for  two  or  three 
miles,  and  the  other  property  was  the  shop.  But  the 
stone  made  glad  the  heart  of  the  Cornishman  inside. 
Mr. and  his  acres  could  get  no  farther  ! 

*Mr.  Killigrew  who  survived  all  the  family  except  his  grand-nieces,  died 
in  St.  James'  Square  in  1745.  The  burial  of  his  wife  is  recorded  in  the 
Falmouth  church  register  (September  27,  1727),  "  Ane  ye  Wife  of  Martin 
Killigrew,  Esq."     He  left  a  will  containing  five  codicils. 


66  Old  Falmouth. 

Jesting  apart,  llicre  is  possibly  an  imwiitlcn  and 
soinewliat  sad  history  herewith.  Unhke  other  county 
magnates,  hcd^^ed  off  by  parks  and  many  acres,  the 
KilH^rews  were  in  close  and  daily  contact  with  their 
tenants  and  lease-liolders,  the  people  of  the  rising  town 
of  Falmouth,  who  were  adding  to  the  manor  revenues. 
Had  the  old-established  family  entered  upon  some 
genial  social  intercourse  with  their  neighbours,  some  of 
whom  were  certainly  gentlefolks  by  descent, — while  all 
in  such  a  case  as  this  merited  friendly  feeling, — and 
created  some  common  interests  which  would  have  sent 
kindly  thoughts  a-flow^ing,  pride  and  ill-feeling  on 
both  sides  w^ould  have  been  chased  away,  and  there 
might  have  been  less  friction  between  the  Manor-house 
and  the  Town-hall.     One  can  only  conjecture  ! 

Since  no  one  of  the  Corporation,  not  even  Mr,  Bryan 
Rogers  or  Mr.  Denis  Russell,  sat  down  pen  in  hand  to 
record  their  side  of  the  story,  we  must  admit  Mr. 
Killigrew  had  the  advantage  in  some  respects.  He 
told  the  tale  of  his  tribulations,  and  his  manuscripts  and 
his  letters  have  been  printed  at  length  and  read  by 
various  persons  full  a  century  and  a  quarter  after  they 
were  written,  when  none  could  say  the  writer  nay, 
or  so  much  as  hint  that  there  was  any  other  tale  to  tell. 
But  let  us  believe  that  he  and  his  wife  were  kindly 
folks  at  heart,  notwithstanding  some  narrowness  of  out- 
look, the  last  of  the  name  to  gaze  through  the  old 
mullioned  window^s  of  the  ancient  Manor-house  upon 
the  pleasant  harbour,  and  destined  to  depart  for  ever 
from  the  old  home  which  had  been  for  many  a  day  so 
associated  with  their  race. 


CHAPTER    IV.* 

Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century. 

AFTER  Mr.  Martin  Lister  Killigrew  left  Falmouth, 
Mr.  (or  the  Rev.)  Wm.  H.  Reynell  acted  as 
steward  to  the  estate  in  co-operation  with  (apparently) 
the  Halls,  both  the  father  and  son,  each  of  whom  was 
called  Abraham.!  Mr.  Reynell  seems  to  have  been  a 
nephew  of  Mr.  Killigrew's  (by  marriage),  the  family  of 
Reynell  being  of  some  note  in  Cambridgeshire.  The 
connection  of  the  Reynells  with  the  Killigrews  was 
through  the  marriage  of  Sir  Thomas  Reynell,  of  Ogwell, 
Knight,  with  Ann,  daughter  of  Sir  Henry  Killigrew,  of 
Cornwall,  Knight,  and  relict  of  Sir  Jonathan  Trelawney. 
About  this  date  (1738)  the  condition  of  Arwenack 
was  reported  to  be  very  much  in  need  of  repair.  "  The 
planken  of  ye  parlour,"  wrote  Mr.  Hall,  "  at  Arwenack 
is  old  and  bad  as  you  observed  when  you  were  here 
Last  year  ;  the  Staircase  is  still  worse  ;  and  ye  both 
require  new  making."  .  .  .  "  If  a  Coat  of  paint  is 
added  to  the  Wainscott  round  ye  walls  of  ye  Parlour  it 
will  be  fitter  to  receive  ye  Lords  of  Arwenack  another 

*  This  chapter  is  chiefly  based  on  extracts  from  the  letters  of  the  agents  to 
the  Killigrew  and  Wodehouse  families,  the  letters  being,  of  course,  unsuit- 
able for  publication.  The  extracts  contain  everything  of  public  interest. 
Hals  states  :  "  The  chief  inhabitants  of  this  town  are  Mr.  Russell,  Mr.  Tresahar, 
Mr.  Corker,  Mr.  Hill,  Mr.  Gwyn,"  that  is,  during  the  latter  partof  the  17th 
and  earlier  part  of  the  l8th  century,  after  which  others  became  prominent. 

t  Abraham  Hall,  Senior,  was  bom  in  1677,  ''sonne  of  Joseph  and 
Tamsin  Hall."     Abraham  Hall,  Junior,  his  son,  was  born  in  1706. 

67 


68  Old  Falmouth. 

Year."  It  is  almost  pathetic  to  see  the  wish  cherished 
on  the  part  of  their  faithful  retainer  that  "the  family" 
mi^ht  still  look  upon  the  old  Manor-house  as  a  kind 
of  home. 

The  uncle  of  Abraham  Hall,  Junior,  was  Captain 
Hudson  Upton,  whose  daughter  boarded  with  tiie 
Halls  ;  she  was  a  grand-daughter  of  Captain  Culverden, 
one  of  the  mayors  of  Falmouth, — (and  presumably  the 
Packet  Commander  of  that  name), — who  died  in  1752. 
He  was  related  to  Mr.  Michael  Gwin  by  marriage,  and 
his  sister  (Priscilla)  married,  in  1745,  Dr.  Turner,  a 
physician  of  Penryn,  possessed  of  _^  10,000  and  pros- 
perous in  his  profession.  Mr.  Hall  refers  to  himself  in 
later  days  as  a  "  bachelor,"  and  apparently  died  as  such 
in  1771.  Captain  Culverden  won  ;^i,ooo  in  one  of  the 
lotteries  in  1739.  Captain  Upton  was  elected  mayor  on 
leaving  Arwenack,  which,  as  already  stated,  he  had 
rented. 

The  fate  of  Arwenack  was  ever  to  lose  something  of 
its  old  beauty.  Trees  were  cut  down  in  the  grove,  much 
to  the  regret  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  as  no  doubt 
they  found  the  shade  pleasant,  and  considered  the  trees 
ornamental.  The  pyramid,  finished  in  1738,  reared  its 
head  proudly  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  Ragland,  the 
mason,  considered  himself  a  man  of  mark.  Indeed, 
after  this  event  he  fancied  himself  equal  to  the  con- 
struction of  anything, — "  making  himself  out  to  be  as 
great  an  Architect  as  any  in  England,  and  says  would 
his  business  here  permit  he  would  goe  up  to  London 
and  give  in  a  Scheme  for  ye  New  bridge  at  Westmin- 
ster." The  good  man  was  determined  not  to  be  entirely 
hidden  under  a  bushel,  however,  so  "  he  has  sett  up  over 
his  Door  in  good  legible  Letters — "John  Ragland,  Archi- 
tecture,"— which  became  a  mark  for  jests.  On  being 
advised  to  blot  out  the  last  three  letters  of  the  offending 
word,  he  did  it,  and  added  "  Undertaker,"  with  a  hyphen 


THK    REV.    EDWARD     WALMSI.EY. 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  69 

between  the  two  !     Ragland  died  in  1759  and  his  fame 
remained  confined  to  Falmouth. 

A  wall  was  built  round  the  grove,  much  to  the 
delight  of  the  steward,  who  reported  "  the  Stile  in,  and 
the  Rubbish  Cleaned,  and  the  Door  now  hanging.  The 
whole  is  very  handsome  and  from  the  water  has  a  grand 
Look  .  .  .  There  only  wants  a  Gravell  walk  within 
ye  wall  and  another  from  the  Door  up  to  ye  Pyramid 
that  the  Ladies  may  walk  dry,  which  the  grass  for  some 
time  after  rain  and  when  ye  dew  falls  will  not  permit." 

But  visits  to  Falmouth  were  only  occasionally  made. 
Colonel  West  and  Mr.  Merrill  came  in  1738,  and  there  were 
other  visits  once  in  a  way  from  one  or  other  of  the  family 
but  they  were  brief  and  for  purposes  of  business,  and 
no  ladies,  as  fondly  hoped,  came  again  to  stroll  about 
the  old  garden  and  gaze  upon  the  shapely  pyramid. 

Mr.  Walmesley,  now  the  rector,  was  described  as  a 
"  truly  good  man,"  and  "  a  man  of  credit,"  but  was  very 
unhappy  in  his  first  marriage.  His  wife  was  extravagant, 
and  brought  great  trouble  upon  him,  so  that  they  ceased 
to  live  together.  He  was  absent  for  many  months  from 
Falmouth  in  London  and  Lancashire,  in  which  county 
he  had  an  estate  (sold  in  1739),  and  during  his  absence 
Mr.  Stone,  who  was  ordained  at  Exeter,  acted  as  curate. 
Mr.  Walmesley's  sister  resided  in  Lancashire  ;  whether 
it  was  she  who  subsequently  came  to  Falmouth  and 
married  a  Mr.  Clarke,  is  not  stated.  But  it  does  not 
seem  that  his  means  were  large,  and  the  living  was  at 
this  time  worth  less  than  ^^300  a  year.  Before  1740  he 
seems  for  a  time  to  have  leased  "  Cock's  great  house," 
and  afterwards  occupied  a  house  close  to  the  church. 

The  good  Rector  appears  to  have  been  of  an  amiable 
disposition,  if  one  may  judge  from  an  anecdote  relating 
to  him.  A  woman  in  Falmouth  who  was  greatly  an- 
noyed at  not  being  informed  of  an  occurrence  known 
to    the    entire    town,    encountered    his    dog,    which 


yo  Old  Fabuouth. 

"affronted  her  by  catchin<4  at  a  Chitterling  she  had  in 
her  hand  as  she  was  brin^iiii»  it  from  Markett,"  in 
consequence  of  which  the  weight  of  her  an^er  fell  upon 
"  the  parson,"  whom  she  roundly  abused  in  the  presence 
of  bystanders.  Naturally  he  heard  of  it,  but  "  meeting 
her  since  in  ye  street  very  Civilly  pulled  off  his  hatt  to 
her  and  in  his  easy,  free  manner  thanked  her  for  ye 
complements  she  had  been  pleased  to  bestow  on  him 
and  his  wife,  which  is  all  ye  Notice  he  takes  of  it." 

In  1761  he  purchased  an  estate  about  five  miles 
from  Falmouth,  keeping  only  two  rooms  furnished  in 
the  parsonage,  when  he  came  in  for  duty.  His  wife 
died  in  1762,  and  in  1763  he  married  a  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  William  Peter,  who  was  rector  of  Mawnan  in 
the  earlier  part  of  the  century.  There  was,  however,  a 
great  discrepancy  in  years,  as  she  was  only  twenty-three, 
and  a  son  born  to  the  Walmsleys  in  1764,  died  in  infancy. 
I  n  1 765  Mr.  Walmesley  found  himself  forced  to  apply  to 
the  Court  of  the  King's  Bench  for  a  Mandamus  to  the 
Mayor  and  aldermen,  commanding  them  to  make  him 
a  rate,  as  the  full  rate  was  not  made  according  to  the 
gross  rents,  the  latter  being  always  estimated  at  less, 
which  practically  reduced  the  sixteen  pence  to  tenpence. 

In  1770  a  misfortune  occurred.  His  curate,  a 
Welshman,  disappeared  "  of  a  sudden  "  after  having 
served  the  Cure  about  six  months."  It  was  rumoured  that 
he  was  not  really  in  holy  orders,  and  on  his  credentials 
being  inquired  for,  he  decamped.  He  had  been  recom- 
mended by  Mr.  Harris,  who  wished  to  resign  his  curacy 
and  happened  to  meet  him,  when  the  supposed  curate 
offered  his  services.  This  created  considerable  com- 
motion among  the  married  couples  for  whom  he  had 
officated.  In  1790  Mr.  Walmesley  attained  the  age  of 
eighty-five,  and  although  he  had  been  unable  to  attend 
the  church  for  some  two  years,  notwithstanding  that  his 
house  was  adjacent  to   it,    he   roused  up    during    the 


Falmouth  in  the  EighteentJi  Century.  71 

elections*  and  posted    off   to    Lostwithiel,    forty-eight 
miles  away,  to  vote.     He  died  in  1794. 

The  church  was  an  object  of  interest  to  the  old 
family  who  founded  it.  In  1738  Mr.  Killigrew  seems 
to  have  arranged  for  a  new  bell  to  be  fixed  on  a  cupola 
on  the  roof  of  the  church,  on  the  top  of  which  was  to 
be  a  ball  and  gilt  dove.  The  bell  weighed  12  cwt. 
This  occasioned  stout  resistance  on  the  part  of  the 
Mayor,  who  declared  that  if  it  was  rung  instead  of  the 
original  little  bell,  the  sexton  should  not  have  his  fees. 
After  a  time  the  dispute  seems  to  have  faded  out,  as  m 
1740  Mr.  Hall  wrote  :  "  The  hanging  of  ye  Bell  is 
finished.  I  hear  it  very  plain  as  I  sitt  at  my  Desk,  tho 
ye  wind  setts  against  Arwenack,"  Another  gift  was  also 
given  in  the  following  year  through  Mr.  Killigrew,  "  a 
pulpitt  Cloth  Cushion  and  Table  Cloth,"  which  Mr. 
Hall  stated  would  be  ''very  agreeable,"  as  of  the  first 
there  was  none,  and  the  second  had  grown  very  shabby. 
Next  followed  a  pulpit  ordered  by  the  same  donor, 
which  was  to  be  made  by  "John  Rattenbury,  a  carpenter 
who  understands  his  business."  "  The  Cost  of  this 
pulpitt  to  be  placed  in  ye  midway  and  sounding  board 
with  hanging  ye  latter  by  an  Iron  Rod  from  ye  roof 
Rattenbury  tells  me  will  be  £'^^,  but  if  placed  in  ye  Seat, 
may  be  done  for  £^  less,  so  much  being  saved  in  ye 
Stairs."  The  pulpit  was  moved  in  1750  during  the  en- 
largement of  the  church  at  the  west  end.  A  canopy 
over  the  mayor's  seat,  placed  there  in  17 10,  remained 
until  the  middle  of  the  century,  but  a  small  pew  in  the 
belfry,  and  another  in  the  organ-loft  for  the  Arwenack 
servants,  were  abolished  by  the  alterations. 

In  1742  an  enlargement  of  the  church-yard  was 
applied  for.     It  was  an  urgent  matter,  but  owing  to  the 

*  Elections  in  this  century  produced  great  excitement,  and  cost  enormous 
sums  to  the  candidates.  It  was  stated  in  1761  that  ''^20,000  would  not  pay 
the  expenses  of  the  Penryn  election." 


']!  Old  Faliiioiilli. 

settlement  of  the  estate  the  Bisliop  declared  that  nothing 
could  be  done  without  an  act  of  Parliament,  and  this 
view  evidently  occasioned  great  delay,  and  no  doubt 
inconvenience. 

In  the  earlier  part  of  the  century  the  means  of 
conveyance  seem  to  have  been  very  restricted,  and  it 
was  long  before  any  regular  system  was  established  in  the 
way  of  coaches  and  wagons.  People  posted,  which  was 
expensive,  or  journeyed  in  vessels,  and  the  "tin-ships" 
frequently  took  passengers.  In  1738  it  is  noted  in  May 
that  "  Mr.  John  Pye  goes  for  London  in  ye  first 
Tyn-ship,  which  " — (delightful  uncertainty  ! ) — "  is 
expected  to  sayle  every  day."  Mr.  Pye  was  a  leading 
merchant  of  the  town,  but  later  on  dwindled  to  being  a 
subordinate  Custom-house  officer.  Another  of  the 
name,  Mr.  William  Pye,  was  Collector  of  the  Customs, 
whose  second  daughter  married  Mrs.  Hill's  son  Richard. 
The  Hills  were  people  of  means.  Mr.  Peter  Hill 
engaged  in  ship's  stores  and  the  Convoy  business,  and 
was  agent  to  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  which 
gave  him  opportunities  for  doing  business  with  all 
the  Dutch  vessels  that  entered  the  harbour.  He  died  in 
1743,  w'orth  some  ;^30,ooo  "in  ready  money."  Mr. 
William  Pye  was  mayor  in  1742,  and  again  in  1745.  In 
1763  one  Pye  was  mentioned  as  Receiver-General  of 
the  Land-Tax  for  Cornwall,  who  got  into  arrears  for  a 
considerable  amount,  involving  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
William  Hill,  and  his  son-in-law.  Captain  John  Dyer, 
who  were  his  securities. 

I  cannot  tell  which  of  the  Hills  was  meant  in 
the  following  note,  but  it  appeared  (1743),  that  "  Mr. 
Hill  is  so  taken  up  with  his  hunting,  fowling,  and 
running  about  ye  County  with  this  good  Company  he 
keeps  that  tis  difficult  to  gett  at  him."  Mr.  William 
Hill  was  mayor  in  1741,  and  "yesterday  presented  us  with 
ye  Grand  Parade  at  Church,  when  His  Worship  and  his 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  73 

Lady  appeared  in  all  the  splendour  they  could."  William 
Hill  was  a  nephew  of  Peter  Hill,  and  son  of  Charles  Hill, 
so  that  the  two  brothers  were  established  in  the  town. 

It  may  be  noted  that  voyaging  in  the  tin-ships  was 
liable  to  inconveniences,  as  in  1740  "  One  of  our  Tyn- 
ships  in  her  passage  down  was  taken  off  Dover  by  a 
privateer." 

Peter  Bearslye  was  also  a  merchant  in  the  town  early 
in  the  century. 

Another  of  the  Falmouth  merchants  of  this  period 
was  Mr.  Jacob  Elliot,  who  (1736)  "  has  this  day  finished 
loading  another  Ship  with  Pilchards."  Like  many 
others  he  leased  several  meadows,  the  reason  for  which 
has  never  been  clear  to  me.  He  died  in  1740,  having 
lost  a  good  deal  of  money,  and  leaving  a  widow. 
James  Pearce  was  for  many  years  a  clerk  to  Mr.  Elliot, 
who  was  a  **  sworn  friend  to  Pye  and  Hill."  Mrs. 
Elliot  was  apparently  a  Gwin,  her  sister  Grace  being  so 
named,  and  her  brother,  Michael  Gwin,  married  into 
the  Nowell  family.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William 
Elliot,  mayor  of  Falmouth,  married  the  heir  of 
Michael  Tresahar,  of  the  old  family  of  Tresahar  of 
Trevethan. 

Among  the  other  leading  merchants  at  this  time 
were  Messrs  Camin,  Thomas  Groube,  and  the  Daubuz 
brothers.  In  1744,  Cock's  "great  house"  was  taken 
"  for  a  merchant  in  London  who  is  coming  to  settle 
here,"  and  who  was  regarded  as  an  important  addition 
to  the  town.  This  turned  out  to  be  Mr.  John  Camin, 
whose  goods  were  sent  down  in  the  spring  of  the 
following  year,  and  who  was  expected  with  his  family 
in  May.  Thus  was  founded  the  firm  of  "  Camin  and 
Co,"  and  afterwards  "Camin  and  Carne."  The  house 
in  question  is  described  as  "  large  enough  for  two 
houses,  a  great  Parlour,  and  ye  Staircase  being  spacious." 
Mr.  Camin  also  purchased  Mr.  John  James'  house  in 


74  Old  Falmouth. 

1 76 1.  In  1765  he  died,  and  the  Carnes  have  ever  since 
cairied  on  tlie  extensive  business  then  established. 

Thomas  Groube  was  stated  in  1751  to  have  '*  of  late 
years  outstript  all  our  Merchants  in  business  excepting 
Mr.  Daubuz,  by  which  he  becomes  a  pretty  good  payer 
to  ye  Keys."     He  died  in  1761. 

The  Messrs.  Daubuz  were  brothers  and  partners  in 
business.  Theophilus  Daubuz,  of  Huguenot  descent, 
came  to  F'almouth  about  1730-1,  and  lived  in  a  house 
belonging  to  Dr.  Russell,  of  Truro,  (presumably  one  of 
the  Russells  of  Falmouth),  situated,  1  believe,  at  or  near 
the  Market  Strand.  In  1763  he  obtained  land  near  Ar- 
wenack,  with  a  view  of  building  a  "handsome  house, 
and  stable,  with  a  small  garden,"  but  possibly  changed 
his  plans,  as  no  house  of  that  date  seems  to  have  been 
erected  there.  Among  other  things  Mr.  Daubuz  started 
in  1744  a  privateer,  but  after  a  two  months'  cruise,  "  in 
which  she  took  only  two  Prizes  and  pillaged  a  little 
Town  on  ye  Coast  of  Spain,  ye  whole  booty  not  worth 
a  Xi,ooo,"  she  returned.  This  remark  shows  the 
profitable  nature  of  privateering,  and  the  reason  why  it 
was  so  much  indulged  in  by  all  nations,  the  old  raiding 
instincts  of  our  forefathers  not  having  wholly  died  out 
in  the  greater  enlightenment  of  our  own  days.  In  the 
same  year  Mr.  Daivbuz  married  a  "  Miss  Greene,  a 
Grand-daughter  of  Mr.  Jones,*  about  half  his  age,"  who 
died  eight  weeks  after  the  wedding.  He  projected  a 
Distillery  Company,  the  distiller  being  a  friend  or 
relation,  but  1  do  not  know  if  it  succeeded.  One  of 
the  Daubuz  family  lived  in  Falmouth  as  late  as  1788. 
Mr.  Benjamin  Heame,  another  merchant,  married 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Pye,  in  1728. 

A  man  who  made  a  considerable  stir  in  the  town 
and  was  once  or  twice  mayor  of  it,  was  "  Captain  Isaac 
Cocart,"  a  rather  lawless  person  to  be  chief  magistrate, 

*  Two  Joneses,  of  later  date,  however,  were  commanders  of  Packets. 


FaUnoidh  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  75 

for  in  1739  "  he  hath  brought  in  a  Large  parcel  of  Teas 
and  other  smuggled  Goods."  I  fear  he  was  an  adept  in 
the  art  of  smuggling,  and  his  history  is  an  odd  one.  In 
early  life  he  was  engaged  in  smuggling,  but  was  after- 
wards sent  to  Falmouth  in  a  Custom-house  smack  to 
cruise  against  smuggling  vessels,  having  been  appointed 
for  giving  information  against  others,  and  in  particular 
against  a  London  merchant  named  Corbett,  who  was  let 
in  for  a  large  sum  on  tobacco.  Cocart  made  money  by  his 
seizures  and  then  quitted  the  service,  his  endeavours  to 
enlist  Mr.  Camin  in  his  projects  proving  futile.  His  affairs 
seemed  in  rather  a  desperate  condition,  but  he  managed 
to  fit  out  a  West  Indian  vessel,  and  did  well  through 
American  commissions,  and  in  1741  was  reported  to 
possess  a  good  deal  of  money.  Captain  Peter  Bown,  the 
Packet  commander,  who  had  married  Cocart's  second 
wife's  daughter  by  a  former  husband,  helped  him  by  re- 
commendations to  merchants  in  London  and  Lisbon,  and 
as  he  became  mayor  of  the  town  he  must  have  had  cer- 
tain useful  qualities.  Cocart  was  no  friend  to  the 
Killigrew  family,  which  at  that  time  was  in  itself  a 
recommendation. 

Another  prominent  man  was  Mr.  William  Willyams, 
(of  the  old  family  of  Willyams  of  Devon  and  Cornwall), 
also  one  of  the  mayors  as  early  as  1739.  He  was 
Collector  of  the  Customs  at  Penryn,  and  was  born 
at  Gwinear  about  1678.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  man 
of  means  and  is  so  spoken  of  ;  in  1742 — "  Mr.  Willyams 
is  building  a  new  house  at  his  Seat  near  St.  Columbe, 
which  finished,  he  Intends  to  quit  the  Town."  The 
house  was  said  to  have  cost  ;^3,ooo,  a  large  sum  at  that 
time.  He  also  held  a  lease  of  Prisloe.  In  1743  he  was 
elected  mayor  rather  against  his  will,  but  being  desirous 
to  "part  good  friends  with  the  Corporation,"  he  "re- 
mained in  the  chair,  to  please  all  parties,"  and  appears 
to  have  left  Falmouth  immediately  after  this  date.  He 
died  there,  however,  in  1762. 


^6  Olii  Fahiioiifli. 

Mr.  Thomas  Banfield  held  in  the  'forties  a  lease  of 
the  "  Barr  "  (Bar)  Mills,  helon;^in^  to  the  manor,  as 
well  as  some  land  near  the  Castle,  with  the  mill  fields. 
He  had  also  mills  of  his  own.  He,  however,  got  into 
difficulties  and  his  lease  of  the  Bar  Mills  was  taken  over 
by  Mr.  Bluett.  They  were  sea  mills  which  only 
worked  with  the  tides,  and  were  finally  unable  to 
compete  with  the  ground  corn  despatched  to  Falmouth 
from  other  counties.  A  forlorn  remnant  of  this  old 
building  may  still  be  seen,  and  before  it  became  too 
dilapidated  it  was  frequently  sketched  by  artists  during 
the  last  century. 

To  the  rope-walk,  leased  by  Mr.  Thomas  Deeble, 
who  died  in  1742,  succeeded  Erasmus  James,  who  had 
a  relation  of  the  name  in  the  wine  trade.  Of  Deeble  it 
was  recorded, — and  this  is  greater  praise  than  I  have 
ever  seen  bestowed  on  any  Falmouth  man  at  this 
period, — that  "  he  has  Left  an  Universell  Good  Character 
behind  him."  Mr.  Nathaniel  Steele,  a  man  of  note  in  the 
town,  was  related  to  a  third  rope-master,  Mr.  Lazurus 
Steele,  one  of  the  Falmouth  merchants,  and  mayor  in 
1740.  In  1750  the  rope- walk  was  assigned  to  Mr. 
Lazurus  Hingston,  a  son-in-law,  who  in  1788  was  said 
to  have  been  "  ruin'd  by  one  of  those  great  adventurers 
in  the  Cotton  Trade,"  for  whom  he  had  endorsed  bills 
to  a  large  amount.  Later  on,  after  the  death  of  James, 
Mr.  Steele  engaged  a  foreman  to  carry  on  the  business 
until  the  son  of  the  former  was  old  enough  to  attend  to 
it.  All  that  now  remains  of  the  old  avenue  is  once 
again  restored  more  to  its  pristine  condition,  and  the 
picturesque  old  sheds  have  been  removed.  None 
of  the  original  trees  in  the  old  avenue  are  now 
standing.  Many  were  destroyed  in  a  great  storm  in 
1703,  and  in  1758  (March  9th),  forty-two  trees  were 
blown  down  around  the  Manor-house,  of  which  thirty- 
six  were  large  ones.     In  1764  a  violent  storm  uprooted 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  'jn 

ten  fine  elms,  and  in  January  of  the  following  year 
several  others  were  blown  down.  In  1790  more  trees 
were  demolished  during  December  gales,  and  of  some 
that  remained  it  was  noted  "  many  of  them  are  from  Age 
and  the  Shallowness  of  the  Soil  now  actually  Dead  on 
their  Leggs." 

Mr.  Michael  Gwin  *  (referred  to  elsewhere),  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Corporation,  but  gave  up  all  con- 
nection with  it  for  family  reasons.  He  was  engaged  in 
business  in  the  town,  owning  two  or  three  houses  and 
the  usual  "  cellars,"  and  leased  some  land  in  the  country. 
But  he  died  in  1758,  without  leaving  much  provision 
for  his  family.  He  was  connected  with  the  Nowells. 
The  name  of  Noell  or  Nowell  appears  very  early  in  the 
Falmouth  register,  the  first  entries  being  in  1668,  et  seq., 
when  the  baptisms  of  the  children  of  Roger  and 
Elizabeth  Nowell  are  recorded.  Philip  (apparently  the 
Philip  born  in  1676)  who  was  son  of  Roger,  was  the 
father  of  Michael  Nowell  (born  in  1735),  who  became 
a  well-known  figure  in  the  town  and  neighbourhood.  Mr. 
Philip  Nowell,  who  married  the  sister  of  Mr.  Michael 
Gwin,  already  referred  to,  described  by  Gilbert  as  "  the 
heiress  of  Gwinn,  an  ancient  Cornish  family,"  was  in 
some  business  in  the  town  of  Falmouth,  which  brought 
him  a  fortune,  and  his  son  Michael  preceded  Mr.  Russell, 
(of  Exeter,  the  well-known  owner  of  wagons),  in  the 
carriage  of  goods  to  and  from  Falmouth.  Good  fortune 
attended  them.  Mr.  Michael  Nowell  was  mayor  of 
Falmouth  for  one  or  two  years  and  was  also  elected 
sheriff  in  1786,  and  in  that  year,  on  August  25th,  he 
received  the  honour  of  knighthood.  This  arose  from 
his  presenting  the  county  address  to  George  III.,  on 

*  The  names  of  Gwyn,  Gwin,  Wynn  and  Winn  appear  frequently  through 
the  parish  register;  the  first  two  seem  Cornish,  the  second  Welsh,  and  the 
last  name  is,  I  have  been  informed,  of  Irish  origin.  The  names  seem  to 
have  been  borne  by  distinct  families.  Mr.  Wynn,  of  the  Royal  Hotel, 
introduced  gas  in  Falmouth. 


78  Old  Falmouth. 

the  escape  ot  the  latter  (on  August  2nd)  from  the 
assassination  attempted  by  Margaret  Nicholson.  He 
married  a  daugliter  of  Mr.  James  Macarmick  and  sister 
of  General  Macarmick,  but  died  in  1802  at  the  age  of 
66  without  descendants.  His  sister  married  Mr.  Usticke 
(possibly  the  one  who  leased  land  for  a  brewery,  near 
the  place  formerly  owned  by  Bryan  Rogers),  and  had 
two  sons  and  several  daughters,  and  of  these  the  Rev. 
Stephen  Usticke  became  heir  to  his  uncle,  and  inherited 
the  estate  of  Penwarne,  previously  purchased  by  Sir 
Michael.  He  died  in  1823,  aged  71  years.  From  an 
allusion  to  "  Nowell's  Snoxell's  great  house"  [i.e.,  occu- 
pied by  Snoxell  first  and  Nowell  afterwards),  it  would 
seem  that  Sir  Michael  Nowell  occupied  a  large  house  in 
one  of  the  Falmouth  streets,  where  he  lived  at  the  time 
he  was  Sheriff.  Although  one  of  the  Ustickes  (an  old 
Cornish  family),  resided  about  this  period  in  Falmouth, 
he  can  hardly  be  called  an  old  P'almouthian.  The  Rev. 
Robert  Usticke  was  a  brother  of  Stephen,  and  one  of 
his  sisters  married  Captain  Peters,  R.N.,  stated  to  have 
been  in  the  Packet  Service.  The  names  of  Nowell, 
Nowell-Usticke,  and  Peters  became  very  familiar  many 
years  ago  in  connection  with  Penwarne. 

The  Bells  (George  and  Stephen,  father  and  son),  as 
Packet  Agents,  resided  in  Falmouth  for  many  years. 
In  1742  a  young  son  is  mentioned  as  being  born  to  one 
Captain  Bell  and  his  wife,  and  in  the  following  year 
Mr.  George  Bell  is  spoken  of  as  "  son-in-law  of  ye 
Agent  Banfield."  He  succeeded  Mr.  Banfield  in  1747, 
and  his  son  Stephen  was  appointed  in  1776.  Mr.  Bell, 
Senr.,  agreed  with  the  Manor  steward  to  give  ;^5oo  for 
a  house,  but  in  1764  he  bought  the  house  of  the  late 
Mr.  William  Pye,  and  this  is  probably  the  one  still  to 
be  seen  in  "  Bell's  Court,"  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
bits  of  old  P'almouth.  The  inscription  on  the  back  of 
Opie's   portrait   of    Henrietta,    the    daughter    of    Mr. 


FaUnoitth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  79 

George  Bell,  to  the  effect  that  he  "  brought  the  Packets 
to  Falmouth,"  is  somewhat  inaccurate,  as  Falmouth 
became  a  Packet  Station  some  sixty  years  before  his 
appointment.  He  was  probably  instrumental  in 
increasing  the  fleet.  Mr.  Bell  died  in  1775,  and  Sir 
John  Wodehouse  showed  his  son  Stephen  great 
kindness,  as  referred  to  later  on. 

In  1743  Mr.  John  Sandys,  who  held  an  appoint- 
ment in  the  Custom  House,  died,  and  Mr.  Richard 
Sandys  of  St.  Keverne,  who  "served  a  clerkship  with 
Mr.  Webber  "  (who  was,  I  think,  a  man  of  law  at  this 
time),  became  "  a  young  attorney  set  up  here."  The 
Sandys  family  were  for  many  generations  landowners 
at  St.  Keverne,  but  the  name  occurs  in  the  Falmouth 
register  in  1697. 

Mr.  Cock  and  his  house,  elsewhere  described,  which 
seemed  in  great  request  as  a  residence,  were  both 
conspicuous  in  Falmouth  in  the  early  part  of  the 
century.  Captain  John  Sadler,  Commander  of  a  ship 
(unknown),  formerly  a  Quaker,  but  baptised  in  1705,  and 
who  died  in  1742,  married  one  of  Mr.  Cock's  daughters, 
and  was  "  Captain  of  an  Invalid  Company  of  Soldiers 
at  Plymouth." 

One  of  the  Hawking  family  was  Clerk  of  the  Assize 
in  1740,  and  a  note  was  made  in  the  following  year  to 
the  effect  that  "  the  late  Create  Mr.  Hawking  "  had  left 
an  annuity  of  ;^6o  a  year  to  a  poor  relation  of  the  name. 
He  was  trustee  on  Mr.  Bassett's  will.  Another  of  the 
family  was  a  land-surveyor.  Again,  mention  is  made 
of  the  "Great  Mr.  Heame,  who  had  lately  been  dis- 
appointed of  a  large  Estate  in  Land  and  money" 
(expected  from  a  relation),  and  these  notes  enable  us  to 
guess  as  to  those,  or  most  of  those,  who  took  a  lead  in 
the  town. 

Samuel  Tresidder  was  the  wharfinger  or  quay- 
master  on  the  Killigrew  quays  in   1740,  a  post  which 


8o  Old  Falmouth. 

must  have  demanded  considerable  discretion.  In  1772 
"  he  hath  talked  of  resigning  his  office  and  living  in  the 
Country  where  he  hath  expended  a  considerable  Sum 
of  Money  and  made  a  very  convenient  Habitation  for 
his  retirement.  It  is  his  Province  to  overlook  all 
matters  at  the  Quay,  to  receive  all  Duties  for  Quayage, 
Cellarage,  and  Groundage.  It  is  a  post  of  great  Confi- 
dence and  Import."  The  country  dwelling  was  at 
Treganiggy.  In  1766  a  misfortune  befell  the  family,  as 
his  father  (apparently),  Samuel  Tresidder,  was  drowned 
in  Mylor  Pool  in  the  month  of  October. 

The  name  of  Gwennop  frequently  occurs.  John 
Gwennop  died  about  1752,  leaving  two  sons,  one  of 
whom  lived  with  his  sister,  their  aunt,  Miss  Gwennop, 
while  the  other  was  "  a  Lieutenant  in  one  of  ye  Fleet 
with  Admiral  Cornish,  his  kinsman." 

About  the  middle  of  the  century  another  of  the 
Falmouth  merchants  arrived,  Mr.  John  Hooton,  who 
established  "  a  Warehouse  of  Manchester  goods  and 
trades  otherwise."  He  was  said  to  live  in  one  of  the 
new  houses. 

Another  name,  that  of  Courtize  or  Courtis,  is  to  be 
found  in  the  earlier  portions  of  the  register,  some 
apparently  being  then  in  an  obscure  position.  It  is 
probable  that  this  was  a  branch  descended  from  the 
Lostwithiel  family  of  whom  Gilbert  says  in  his  History 
of  Cornwall  that  John  Courteys  was  member  for  the 
borough  in  1363,  and  that  in  the  church  there  is  a  brass 
containing  a  figure  of  Tristram  Courteys  in  armour, 
who  died  in  1423.  He  was  a  grandson  of  Ralph 
Curteys,  temp.  Edward  I.  He  adds  that  "  this  family 
which  had  married  an  heiress  of  FitzWalter,  and  a  co- 
heiress of  Semester,  appears  to  have  experienced  the 
instability  of  all  human  affairs,  and  though  some  of  its 
descendants  may  still  exist  in  different  parts  of  the 
county,  yet  they  no  longer  sustain   their  former  dis- 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  8i 

tinguished  situation."  The  coat  of  arms  is  recorded. 
The  family  seems  to  have  declined  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  A  family  of  the  name  of  Courtis,  however,  in 
which  the  names  of  Richard  and  Edward  were  still 
persistent,  attained  considerable  wealth  in  Plymouth 
through  succeeding  to  Mr.  Russell's  great  "  carrier " 
business,  and  some  of  them  resided  in  Falmouth  for 
many  years. 

Mr.  Richard  Southwell  Courtis  was  several  times 
Mayor  of  Falmouth  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century, 
and  one  of  his  daughters  married  into  the  Symons 
family  of  Hatt,  another  into  the  old  Cornish  family  of 
Jago,  etc. 

None  of  the  once  well  known  Hocken  family  are 
now  known  in  the  neighbourhood.  A  tablet  in  the 
Parish  Church  with  a  long  inscription  records  the  decease 
of  Joseph  Hocken  (Mayor  of  Falmouth,  some  year  or 
years  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century),  and 
his  wife  and  children  ;  one  of  whom,  a  daughter,  named 
Augusta,  married  Lieut.  Hill,  R.N.,  Commander  of  H.M. 
Packet  Rinaldo,  and  another,  Captain  Farnham 
Williams,  of  the  Royal  Cornwall  Regiment.  Captain 
Charles  Augustus  Frederic  Hocken,  5th  Bombay 
Cavalry,  of  Exeter,  is  a  descendant  of  this  family. 

In  1789  Mr.  John  Bunny  applied  for  a  lease  of  an 
acre  of  land  in  the  Bar  lane,  where  it  seemed  there  was 
a  house,  barn,  stable  and  orchard,  all  for  £'j  per  annum. 
Here  he  must  have  dwelt  many  years,  as  the  place  for 
full  sixty  or  seventy  years  after  went  by  the  name  of 
"  Bunny  Hall."  A  Mrs.  William  Wills  is  mentioned  in 
the  same  year  as  owning  "  Gillanvase  House,  orchard 
and  garden." 

One  of  the  Mayors  of  Falmouth,  in  1799,  named 
Hambly,  who  amassed  a  considerable  amount  of  money 
(which  he  afterwards  lost),  in  trading  through  the 
Packets,  seems  to  have  been  a  "  character,"  adopting 


82  Old  Falmouth. 

strong  republican  and  revolutionan'  principles,  which 
the  condition  of  a  time  which  witnessed  the  French 
Revolution  of  17Q3  no  doubt  fostered. 

Of  Richard  Pidgley,  whose  portrait  hangs  in  the 
Municipal  Chambers,  there  is  little  to  relate  except  that 
he  was  a  banker  and  "  sometime  Recorder  of  Falmouth." 
He  died  here  in  1802,  aged  sixty-two  years.  Mr.  Pidgley 
left  £$  per  annum  for  a  thousand  years  to  the  poor  of 
the  parish.  He  is  mentioned  in  1775,  so  must  have 
resided  in  the  town  for  a  considerable  time,  holding 
property  in  Mulberry  Square,  or,  as  it  was  frequently 
called,  "  Corkers  Court." 

Many  other  names  appear  in  this  century  in  the 
Parish  Register  : — Curlyon,  Downing,  Tresidder,  Michell 
Spn.',  Symons,  Cock,  etc.,  some  of  which  are  of  an 
earlier  date. 

The  three  leading  Government  officials  of  the  place 
seemed  to  be  the  Collector  of  the  Customs,  Collector  of 
the  Salt  Duties,  and  the  Agent  of  the  Packet  Ser\-ice. 

In  1666  the  burial  is  registered  of  Mr.  Ambrose 
Jennings  (no  doubt  the  first).  Collector  of  the  Customs, 
followed  by  that  of  Mr.  William  Penleaze,  Controller  of 
the  Customs.  The  next  Collector  was  Mr.  William  Pye, 
known  as  "  Mr.  Collector  Pye/'  who  held  the  office  from 
1 7 10  until  his  death  in  1750.  He  was  born  at  Creed, 
in  1685.  His  uncle,  Anthony  Pye,  was  Archdeacon  of 
Cornwall,  and  his  son  William,  rector  of  Truro.  It 
was  recorded  at  his  decease  that  "the  Collector  of 
Customs  died  having  held  that  office  forty  years  and 
beha%-ed  in  General  therein  with  Candor  to  ye  Subject 
and  justice  to  ye  Crown."  His  successor  is  Captain 
Masterman  Clies,  who  was  "  commander  of  one  of 
our  Spanish  Packet  Boats,"  and  "  has  been  since  a 
magistrate  in  Truro."  He  held  the  office  for  some 
little    time    when    Mr.   John*    Arundell    of    Helston, 

•  Robert  is  printed  in  Vivian's  Visitations  of  Cornwall. 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  83 

surgeon  R.X.,  succeeded  him  and  died  suddenly  in 
1766.  His  daughter,  Jane  Arundell,  married  one  of 
the  St.  Aubyn  family  in  1774  at  Falmouth.  Mr. 
Bawden,  formerly  a  Landwaiter,  was  then  appointed, 
who  probably  remained  in  office  until  Mr.  Samuel 
Pellew,  the  brother  of  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  became 
Collector,  so  remaining  until  1833  or  later.  In  1788  Mr. 
Pellew  is  referred  to  as  being  "  expected  here  every  day 
with  his  new  Commission  of  Reinstatement."  Mr. 
Rowland  Piatt  was  Controller  of  the  Customs  in  1776, 
and  Mr.  James  Latter  was  Deput\'-Controller  in  1790, 
but  whether  earlier  or  not  I  cannot  say. 

In  1774  Mr.  Richard  Davis  was  Collector  of  the  Salt 
Duties,  remaining  such  until  his  death  in  1790.  Thomas 
Shuttlewood  was  Assistant-Searcher  in  this  department 
in  or  before  1758.  A  note  about "  Collector  Lovell,"  who 
is  named  as  living  "  at  Penr\'n,  there  not  being  a  house 
fit  for  him  to  be  had  in  Falmouth,"  gives  no  explanation. 

With  regard  to  the  Packet  Service,  interest  was 
frequently  invoked  in  behalf  of  the  appointment  of 
Agent.  Mr.  Da\'is  penned  the  following  interesting 
letter  to  Sir  John  Wodehouse  *  in  behah  of  Stephen 
Bell  in  1775  :  "  Dear  Sir,  The  Gentleman  who  delivers 
this  Letter  to  you  is  the  Son  of  Mr.  Bell,  Agent  for  the 
Packet  Boats  at  this  Place,  a  Tenant  and  steady  Sup- 
porter of  your  Interests.  He  has  asked  me  to  give  him  a 
Letter  to  you  requesting  your  Interest  in  Support  of  an 
Application  he  is  now  about  to  make  to  ye  Post  Office 
for  the  Succession  to  his  Father's  Post  who  beins  old 
and  gout\'  is  anxious  to  resign  in  Favour  of  his  Son. 
For  this  Purpose  you  will  also  receive  Petition  from 
some  of  the  principal  Persons  here,  one  of  whom,  Mr. 
Bown,  was  the  means  of  bringing  all  the  Lisbon  ships 
trading   with   America  to  this  Port  to  discharge  their 

•  Sir  John  Wcxiehouse  was  bom  ia  174I  and  elevated  to  the  Peerage 
in  1797. 


84  Old  Falmouth. 

Cargoes,  according  to  ye  act  of  Navigation.  As  it  is  in 
the  Power  of  the  Agent  resident  here  to  be  of  Great 
Weight  in  the  Town,  which  indeed  in  a  great  degree 
depends  upon  the  Packets  stationed  here,  I  have  no 
doubt  you  will  see  the  immediate  propriety  of  giving  Mr. 
Bell  a  kind  Reception  on  this  Occasion,  though  I  have 
already  prepared  him  for  your  Disinclination  to  ask 
Favors  of  Government,  by  telling  him  that  you  had 
never  made  any  Application  even  in  your  own  Affairs, 
and  had  asked  but  a  single  civility  and  that  a  Trifle,  of 
the  Chancellor,  your  Relation. 

"  You  will  observe  in  your  Rentals  that  the  Agent 
has  a  House  allowed  him  gratis,  in  consequence  of  his 
being  thought  a  matei  ial  Man,  and  I  Understand  that 
formerly  there  have  been  many  Attempts  made  to 
secure  the  Interest  of  that  Officer  by  your  Opponents 
in  this  Neighbourhood.  Apart,  however,  from  this 
consideration,  you  will  find  Mr.  Bell  a  modest,  sensible, 
well-disposed  young  man,  and  if  I  am  not  mistaken  in 
my  judgment,  of  very  good  Behaviour." 

Three  months  later  Mr.  Davis  wrote  : — "  During 
my  absence  very  little  material  hath  happened,  except 
the  Death  of  poor  George  Bell,  Agent  for  the  Packets, 
Father  of  the  young  Man  to  whom  you  showed  so  much 
kindness,  for  which  he  and  his  friends  are  greatly 
obliged  to  you.  Lord  Despencer's*  Letter  is  surely  a 
favourable  one,  and  there  is  hardly  a  Doubt  but  Mr.  S. 
Bell  will  succeed."  Mr.  Stephen  Bell  was  appointed  in 
1776.  Captain  Bell,  a  relation,  married  (secondly),  a 
daughter  of  *'  Mr.  Agent  Banfield,"  the  predecessor  of 
the  two  Bells.  Mr.  Stephen  Bell,  and  each  subsequent 
Agent,  held  the  additional  office  of  Postmaster,  but  the 
official  rank  of  each  was  Agent  of  the  Packet  Service, 
and  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  two  office-buildings 
were  distinct,  the    Post    Office,    under   the  care    of   a 

•   Postmaster-General. 


liliLL'S    COUKT. 


Fahnoiith  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  85 

deputy,  being  in  the  town,  and  the  Packet  Office  near 
the  Custom  House  Quay. 

A  mail  coach  was  running  to  and  from  Fahnouth  in 
1788,  but  documents  were  sometimes  packed  in  boxes 
and  despatched  by  wagons  or  ships,  owing  to  the 
heavy  charges  for  postage,  which  increased  according 
to  distance.  Postal  facihties  in  Falmouth  were  still  of 
a  somewhat  primitive  order.  In  1789,  Mr.  Davis 
penned  the  following  note  :— "  We  are  strangely  Em- 
barased  by  our  Capricious  Post  Mistress,  who  Shutts 
up  the  Receiving  Box  as  soon  as  the  Post  arrives,  so 
that  tis  impossible  to  return  an  Answer  to  Letters  in 
the  Ev'ning  which  sets  out  at  Six  next  Morning,  with- 
out paying  her  one  penny  each  Letter  for  taking  them 
in.  And  she  also  exacts  a  fee  of  one  Penny  for  the 
Delivery  out  of  each  Letter  on  Arrival  if  the  Post  don't 
come  in  time  enough  to  deliver  them  out  by  ten  o'clock. 
.  If  this  Perplexity  lasts  much  longer  I  shall  be 
under  the  Necessity  of  laying  a  Complaint  before  the 
Post  Masters*  for  removing  this  very  Inconvenient 
Grievance  ."  It  looks  as  if  the  good  woman  considered 
the  bustle  of  an  arriving  mad  sufficient,  so  that  she 
would  not  attend  to  an  out-going  one  without  special 
fees  !     This — in  addition  to  the  postage. 

The  old  post  office  used  to  be  in  what  is  still  called 
Post  Office  Yard  ;  and  Bell's  Court,  where  the  Bells 
resided,  was  adjacent  to  it. 

As  we  have  seen  at  this  period  the  Agent  was  pro- 
vided with  a  house,  a  privilege  which  the  Collector  of 
the  Customs  considered  unfair,  and,  as  he  was  a  person 
who  could  make  things  inconvenient — (as  the  following 
record  shows  :  "  The  Collector  of  Customs  desired  to 
have  alterations  at  the  Quay  or  should  apply  to  have 
the  Custom-house  at  Flushing") — it  is  quite  likely  he 
obtained  a  concession  of  some  kind.     In  1785  :   "As 

*  Postmasters-General,  of  whom  there  were  two. 


86  Old  Falinoiitli. 

the  Collector  mentioned  with  some  Warmth  tliat  he  had 
as  good  a  claim  to  have  a  House  rent  free  as  the  Agent 
for  the  Packets,  it  may  be  suspected  that  the  cause  of 
this  talking  of  the  alterations  was  not  entirely  a  public 
one."  The  Agent  in  i7()o  also  wanted  repairs  done  to 
"the  House  given  by  the  Lords  for  the  Packet  Agent's 
residence  rent  free." 

No  wonder  the  Agency  was  rather  in  request  !  In 
1740  Mr.  Abraham  Hall  wrote  concerning  a  "certain 
merchant  who  removed  from  Falmouth  to  Penryn  " 
that  he  had  "  a  great  inclination  to  ye  Agency  of  ye 
Packquets,  a  post  which  his  good  services  give  him 
hopes  of  acquiring."  He  was  relying  on  electioneering 
interest  no  doubt,  but  evidently  he  did  not  succeed. 

About  the  middle  of  this  century,  the  Rev.  John 
Penrose,  of  Falmouth  family,  and  born  in  1713,  Chap- 
lain to  the  Bishop,  was  appointed  Vicar  of  St.  Gluvias. 
He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John 
Vinicombe,  of  Exeter,  and  died  in  1776.  His  youngest 
son,  who  was  born  at  Gluvias  in  1759,  became  a  distin- 
guished officer  in  the  Navy,  and  fought  under  Lord 
Exmouth.  His  biography,  together  with  that  of  his 
brother-in-law,  was  published  by  Murray  in  1850, 
entitled  Lives  of  Vlcc-Admiral  Sir  Charles  Vinicombe 
Penrose,  K.C.B.,  and  Captain  Ja)nes  Trevencn,  by  their 
Xepheiv,  the  Rev.  John  Penrose.  Portraits  of  both  are 
given,  and  the  fine,  open,  English  face  and  bearing  of 
the  Admiral  seem  to  convey  that  he  was  a  natural 
leader,  born  to  success.  He  died  at  Ethy,  near  Lost- 
withiel,  in  1830.  His  eldest  daughter,  Elizabeth, 
married  in   1819  Admiral  Coode,  of  Cornwall. 

In  doctors  Falmouth  by  no  means  lacked.  In  1739 
Mr.  William  Price,  a  surgeon,  or  "  chyrugien,"  as  the 
profession  was  sometimes  described,  resided  in  Fal- 
mouth, followed  in  1741  or  earlier  by  one  Oake,  an 
apothecary,  who  also  acted  as  surgeon.     Efiforts  were 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  87 

then  made  in  this  year  to  estabHsh  a  Dr.  Cunningham 
in  the  town,  who  was  guaranteed  by  subscriptions  for 
twelve  months,  in  return  for  which  he  was  to  attend 
professionally  on  the  subscribers  when  required.  But  the 
project  failed,  and  he  left  to  settle  in  Northamptonshire. 
About  this  time  there  were  many  sick  and  wounded 
prisoners  of  war.  In  the  autumn  of  1744  Mr.  Pender 
(who  "  served  an  apprenticeship  with  Mr.  Price  ")  was 
appointed  agent  to  "ye  Sick  and  Wounded  and  pri- 
soners of  War  here,  which  he  enjoyed  peaceably  as  a 
trifling  post  till  now  when  there  being  something  to  be 
got  by  it,  Mr.  Hingston  of  Penryn,  son-in-law  to 
Nathaniel  Steel,  has  put  for  it."  Mr.  Pender  had  to 
give  up  the  office,  through  borough  interest,  although 
he  had  "  proved  himself  as  good  a  surgeon  as  any  in 
ye  county."  Finally,  Pender  was  continued  agent  for 
the  prisoners,  and  Hingston  was  appointed  for  the  sick 
and  v.70unded.  But  Mr.  Pender's  term  was  of  short 
duration,  as  in  April  of  the  following  year  he  died  of 
a  fever,  ''whe^^eby  we  lost  the  best  surgeon  in  our 
Neighbourhood."  This  fever  carried  off  many 
others. 

Someone  named  Melun  seems  to  have  been  one  of 
the  earliest  surgeons,  and  there  was  another  named 
Thomson.  Dr.  Turner,  who  resided  in  the  first 
instance  at  Arwenack,  has  been  already  mentioned  ; 
and  a  "  chyrugeon,"  as  described  in  the  register,  also 
lived  in  Falmouth — Mr.  Richard  Buckley,  or  Bulklye. 

In  1766,  Mr.  Joseph  Fox,  a  new  surgeon,  took  a 
small  house  in  Porhan  Hill  "for  harbouring  Sick 
Seamen  and  other  poor  patients,  which  is  better  than 
to  have  them  in  ye  town."  This  was  a  praiseworthy 
effort.  Something  of  the  kind  had  been  attempted 
before,  as  a  "  hospital "  is  mentioned  in  the  first  decade 
of  the  1 8th  century.  Another  surgeon  mentioned  in 
1767  was  Mr.  Joseph   Lillicrap,  and  later  on,  in  1773, 


88  Old  Falmouth. 

Dr.    William     Medgher    is    mentioned    as    a    leading 
physician. 

With  regard  to  these  prisoners  it  seems  that  in  or 
about  1744  "John  Gwin's  old  Meeting-house  in 
Porhan  Hill"  was  used.  They  were  also  imprisoned 
for  a  few  days  in  the  Town  Hall,  and  "Cellars  at 
Penryn  "were  subsequently  fitted  up  for  them.  Kergil- 
lick,  Roscrow,  and  Meudon  were  also  used  as  French 
prisons.  The  Mayor  had  to  join  the  Admiral  Com- 
missioners in  examining  the  "persons  brought  in  from 
the  prizes,"  and  thus  to  be  chief  magistrate  became  a 
rather  unpopular  office. 

Shipping  slowly  increased  and  the  pilchard  catches 
were  at  times  very  large,  creating  an  extensive  business 
entered  upon  by  nearly  all  the  merchants.  In  1739  it 
is  noted,  "We  have  two  Carolina  Ships  in  ye  peer, 
entering  their  Cargoes,  one  to  Mr.  Hill  and  the  other  to 
Mr.  Heame."  And  in  1740,  English,  French,  and 
Dutch  ships  came  in  to  load  pilchards,  while  other 
vessels  were  on  the  way.  "  The  fishermen  had  extra- 
ordinary success  all  along  ye  Coast,  there  being 
upwards  of  20,000  hogsheads  of  pilchards  taken  ;  all  ye 
cellars  in  P'almouth  are  full.  Some  are  sold  at  twenty 
shillings  a  hogshead,  besides  7d.  allowed  by  ye  Govern- 
ment on  ye  exportation  which  is  a  good  price."  In 
1789  the  pilchard  fishery  dwindled  very  greatly,  and  it 
is  noted  with  regret  that  "  formerly  20,000  hogsheads 
were  shipped  from  here  at  2d.  each,  and  cellarage  2d. 
more,  but  now  we  can't  rise  to  2,000  hogsheads."  But 
in  1790  came,  "  Large  pilchards  catches  again.  They 
had  failed  for  many  years." 

The  condition  of  the  town  could  hardly  have  been 
satisfactory  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  century.  Rough 
cobble  stones  were  laid  in  the  street,  and  each  house- 
holder paved  before  his  own  door,  which  resulted  in  a 
very  uneven  footway.     The  refuse  was  left  in  heaps 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  89 

along  the  street,  and  only  cleared  away  once  a  week. 
This,  with  other  insanitary  conditions,  produced  the 
outbreaks  of  fever  which  were  complained  of  at  times. 
Thus  in  1742,  "  A  bad  kind  of  feaver  is  very  rife."  And 
again,  "  Small  pox  rages  among  us,  and  for  four  weeks 
we  have  had  one  or  more  funerals  a  day." 

A  large  number  of  the  smaller  houses  were  thatched, 
and  many  of  these  having  been  built  in  the  previous 
century  were  full  of  old  beams  and  timber-work,  which 
fell  an  easy  prey  to  the  flames  when  a  fire  broke  out 
anywhere.  Some  of  these  thatched  houses  stood  until 
the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Falmouth  was  not  lacking  in  excitements  owing  to 
these  disasters.  In  1741  Mr.  Daubuz's  house  was  burnt 
and  the  fire  consumed  two  adjoining  dwellings.  Mr. 
Daubuz  and  his  family  had  to  fly  into  the  street  almost 
unclothed,  and  saved  nothing  but  a  bag  of  money 
which  lay  upon  a  desk  in  the  counting-house.  All  the 
old  portraits  were  destroyed.  The  efforts  of  a  small  fire- 
engine  from  the  Castle  and  the  pulling  down  of  another 
house  prevented  the  tire  from  extending  further. 

One  of  the  most  exciting  events  of  this  kind  was  a 
a  fire  one  Sunday  afternoon  in  April,  1745,  which  raged 
on  a  West  Indian  ship,  laden  with  rum,  sugar,  indigo, 
and  cotton.  She  lay  off  Flushing,  and  owing  to  the 
carelessness  of  two  boys  in  the  gun-room,  an  explosion 
of  powder  took  place.  The  boys  and  a  passenger  were 
killed  and  others  seriously  injured,  and  the  ship  burned 
until  nine  o'clock  on  the  following  morning.  As  her 
guns  were  loaded  it  was  feared  the  town  would  be 
bombarded,  but  all  the  balls  except  one  went  over  the 
houses,  and  this  one  lodged  in  a  wall  in  a  courtyard 
without  doing  any  damage.  The  escape  of  the  town 
was  due  to  the  fact  that  as  the  fire  proceeded,  the 
timbers  gave  way,  and  the  mouths  of  the  guns  became 
elevated  at  too  high  an  angle  to  do  any  injury. 


90  Old  Faliitotiili. 

In  August,  1788,  a  bad  lire  occurred  at  a  house  in 
the  occupation  of  Captain  McDonough  of  the  Tankcnnlle 
Packet,  opposite  the  Fish  Strand.  It  belonged  to  Mr. 
Peter  Hill  and  his  sister  Jane  for  their  lives.  The  fire 
extended  to  Mr.  Hocken's  house,  next  door,  and  he  had 
just  time  to  escape  with  his  wife  and  a  servant.  Both 
houses  were  destroved,  two  more  were  damaged,  and 
four  men  lost  their  lives  owing  to  the  floors  falling  upon 
them.  The  grave  of  one  of  them  is  on  the  higher  side 
of  the  church  steps  leading  down  into  the  street,  the 
slab  being  inscribed  :  "  Richard  Green,  killed  at  the 
dreadful  fire  in  this  town  on  the  i6th  August,  1788." 
Captain  McDonough  was  at  his  house  at  Mylor  for  the 
summer,  but  he  had  been  in  town  on  the  evening  before 
the  fire  took  place.  Whether  he  left  the  house  open  or 
not  is  unknown,  but  there  was  evidence  of  wilful  incen- 
diarism. Rewards  of  one  hundred  guineas,  offered  by 
the  Mayor  (Mr.  Joseph  Banfield),  and  another  hundred 
by  Sir  John  Wodehouse  and  Mr.  Robert  Bathurst,  pro- 
duced no  result,  and  the  evil-doer  escaped  punishment. 
Captain  James  Bull  had  a  lease  from  Miss  Hill  of  Captain 
McDonough's  house,  "standing  to  all  damages  in  case 
of  fire,"  and  the  lady  in  question  offered  him  the 
premises  for  an  annuity  for  life,  to  which  he  agreed  on 
receipt  of  the  insurance  money  from  the  tenant.  Mr. 
Hocken  decided  to  rebuild  a  good  house  or  houses  for 
about  ;^i,ooo. 

Two  years  later,  in  1790,  another  very  serious  fire 
occurred,  as  described  by  Mr.  Davis  in  the  following 
words:  "April  5th.  I  have  now  to  communicate  to 
you  a  very  dreadful  P'ire  which  happened  by  Accident 
about  4  o'clock  this  Morning,  and  began  in  Mr. 
Rumbelow  Vivian's  tenanted  house,  consisting  of  five  or 
six  habitations  with  their  F'amilies,  Situate  the  next  door 
to  his  own  dwelling-house  ;  the  flames  immediately 
communicated    to    his,    and    having    just    time    for 


Fahnoiith  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  91 

himself  and  family  to  make  their  escape,  destroyed 
Every  Article  in  it  except  a  few  Papers."  .  .  .  "His 
Money,  Plate,  and  all  are  gone,  and  to  a  large  Amount 
his  next  house  "  (the  other  side  apparently)  "  is  the  same 
in  ruins."  .  .  .  "The  wind  being  Strong  at  East,  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Street  took  fire,"  and  burnt  several 
houses  entirely  down.  One  was  torn  down  to  stop  the 
progress  of  the  flames.  There  was  great  distress  in 
consequence. 

A  fire-engine  seems  to  have  been  kept  at  the  Castle, 
and  two  engines  at  the  Market  Strand  are  mentioned  in 
1765,  while  Mr.  Merrill  and  Colonel  West  had  also 
provided  a  small  one  for  inside  use  ;  but  without  water 
pressure  the  process  of  extinguishment  must  have  been 
very  inefficient.  I  believe  that  long  after  this  date  a 
chain  of  men  used  to  be  employed  constantly  passing 
buckets  to  supply  the  hand-engine,  which  must  have 
been  a  slow  and  laborious  task. 

Nor  were  these  the  only  alarms.  Falmouth  was 
unprotected,  and  there  was  always  the  fear  of  invasion, 
which  indeed  existed  throughout  the  eighteenth  century. 
In  1743,  on  February  14th,  such  an  alarm  took  place, 
recorded  by  Mr.  Hall  :  "  I  doubt  not  you'll  have  heard 
before  this  can  reach  you  of  ye  French  fleets  having 
been  off  our  harbour  last  Tuesday,  of  which  an  Express 
was  Dispatched,  and  which  putt  our  people  into  no  little 
Consternation.  We  are  now  all  Quiet  again,  but  must 
expect  many  such  alarms  in  case  of  a  French  war  which 
seems  not  far  off."  Next  year  the  Corporation  petitioned 
for  soldiers,  and  one  hundred  and  twelve  arrived.  The 
people  of  the  town  also  subscribed  towards  Cornish 
regiments  for  the  defence  of  the  county,  and  also  of  the 
town,  and  one  hundred  of  the  inhabitants  took  up  arms. 
At  this  time  the  Stuart  rebellion  was  in  operation,  and  the 
various  counties  raised  regiments  for  the  defence  of 
king  and  country. 


92  GUI  Fahnotilh. 

In  1759,  tlie  people  of  F'almouth  were  a^ain  in  great 
apprehension  from  the  French,  and  "some  are  packing 
up  their  Vakiahles  if  an  Alarm  happens."  They  had 
reason  ;  some  hundreds  of  French  prisoners  were  in 
Falmoutii,  and  there  was  "  no  ship  of  war  to  guard  the 
coast." 

Many  years  later,  in  1779,  Mr.  Davis  wrote  :  "Tlie 
English  fleet  appeared  off  this  harbor,  Tuesday  evening, 
the  31st  of  August,"  and  went  up  towards  Plymouth. 
"  Next  morning,  September  ist,  appeared  the  French 
and  Spaniards.  To-day,  September  2nd,  the  enemy's 
fleet  is  out  of  sight,  but  we  expect  to  hear  of  an  Action 
every  Hour,  as  the  two  Fleets  are  only  about  six  Leagues 
distant  from  each  other." 

Then,  in  1781,  it  was  noted  (November),  that,  "A 
Packet  is  come  in  from  New  York,  which  tells  us  that 
our  Fleet  is  gone  to  meet  the  French,  tho'  they  are  of 
Sail  of  ye  Line  stronger  than  we  are.  No  bad  News  of 
Lord  Cornwallis,  so  we  live  in  Hope." 

The  press-gang  occasioned  great  local  commotions. 
In  1740,  "the  Mayor  had  ye  week  before  Last  a  very 
warm  Tongue  Engagement  with  a  press  Officer  who 
Impressed  a  Townsman  without  having  first  applied  for 
leave  to  his  Worship.  There  was  much  Noise  and  high 
threatenings  on  both  sides,  but  ye  officer  carried  off  his 
man."  P'ifty  years  later,  in  1790,  the  press-gang  was 
still  at  work.  "  The  Naval  officers,"  (Captain  Beans  and 
Lieutenant  Gaydon),  "  with  a  Sloop  of  War  and  two 
Cutters  with  a  Regulating  Captain  on  Shore,  have  been 
for  some  time  past  on  the  Impress  Service.  They  have 
procured  a  Great  many  fine  Fellows,  Some  Press'd,  and 
others  Entered,  but  it's  rather  unlucky  the  Peace  of  this 
Kingdom  should  be  disturbed  at  this  Juncture."  For 
trade  was  improving  at  Falmouth  as  well  as  elsewhere. 
The  rough  ways  in  these  directions  may  be  illustrated 
by  the  fact  that  a  man  was  tortured  to  death  at  this 


FaUnoiith  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  93 

time  in  Winchester  under  the  pretence  of  keeping  up 
discipline  in  the  army. 

Disputes  were  not  confined  to  the  question  of  press- 
ing men  for  the  navy  ;  and  sometimes  words  came  to 
blows  among  the  townsfolk.  In  1741  a  lively  account 
is  given  of  a  quarrel  between  two  of  the  town  worthies. 
"  Poor  Newman  has  been  much  beat  by  Mr.  Hill,  but 
at  Last  turned  upon  him,  and  lett  him  know  what  it  was 
to  be  beat,  for  he  knock'd  him  down  by  a  blow  in  ye 
face  with  ye  great  end  of  a  Scrubbing-brush,  such  as  we 
use  here  for  mopping  roomes  with  long  handles." 

Another  feature  of  the  place — all  Cornwall  in  fact — 
was  the  practice  of  smuggling.  It  was  by  no  means 
confined  to  Captain  Cocart,  although  he  had  certainly 
made  a  business  of  it.  And  the  good  folks  of  Falmouth 
were  very  adroit  in  evading  the  Custom-house  officers. 
An  amusing  story  was  told  of  Mr.  John  Pye,  who 
stopped  a  man  in  the  street  carrying  a  barrel  of  raisins, 
demanding  where  they  were  obtained.  The  man  re- 
plied that  he  bought  the  barrel  from  a  boat  at  the  quay, 
where  a  sailor  had  several  to  sell.  So  Mr.  Pye  hurried 
off  to  secure  a  large  haul,  and  found  nothing  but  a 
disappearing  and  empty  boat,  while  the  owner  of  the 
barrel  had  vanished. 

In  1762  (September),  quite  an  exciting  occurrence 
took  place.  "We  have  had  here  for  ye  last  fortnight 
three  East  India  ships  from  China,  which  are  draining 
the  Town  and  Country  of  all  the  loose  money  that  can 
be  scraped  together.  Many  a  good  thousand  pounds 
in  ready  Cash  will  go  with  them.  Hundreds  of  horse 
and  foot  from  Country  twenty  miles  round  have  been 
fleeting  to  Town  every  day, — Knights,  Squires,  Gentle- 
men, farmers  and  Tradesmen, — with  their  Wives, 
Daughters,  Sisters,  Nieces  and  Cousins,  who  all  go  on 
board  and  buy,  some  more,  some  less,  according  to 
their  Cash.     The  Officers  of  ye  Customs  have  been 


94  Old  Falmottth. 

occupied  enough."  .  .  .  "The  three  Indiamen  Sayled 
the  4th  Instant,  under  Convoy  of  a  50  Gun  Ship  of 
War  wliich  Came  from  Plymouth  to  fetch  them.  .  .  . 
The  goods  bought  out  of  tlie  Indiamen  are  not  part  of 
their  Cargoes  but  the  private  Adventures  of  the  OtBcers 
and  Seamen,  and  are  all  Smuggled  ashore.  These 
Goods  are  Silks,  Muslins,  Dimityes,  China,  Tea,  Arrack, 
handkerchiefs,  etc.  It  is  thought  there  are  not  less 
than  20,000  pounds  worth  of  such  things  left  among  us 
from  the  three  last  ships.  The  captains  and  officers 
are  allowed  large  priveleges,  and  there  are  ways  and 
means  of  dealing  with  Custom-house  officers,  well 
known  to  those  who  deal  in  Uncustomed  Goods.  The 
week  after  ye  Ships  Sailed  I  could  not  gett  a  bill  of  Ex- 
change from  any  Merchant  in  Town  ;  you'll  perhaps 
infer  from  hence  that  our  Merchants  Smuggle,  and  you 
may  not  be  mistaken  if  you  should." 

Tea  at  this  period  seemed  fairly  plentiful  if  expensive, 
since  it  is  observed  :  "  Tea  may  now  be  called  one  of 
ye  necessaries  of  life,  for  the  lowest  servant  in  a  family 
insists  on  it,  and  stipulates  for  it  in  making  his  or  her 
bargain,"  Previously,  a  tea-party  was  an  event,  and 
cups  and  caddies  were  of  miniature  size. 

Again  in  1765  a  similar  scene  took  place.  "We 
have  had  here  a  homeward  bound  East  Indiaman  for  a 
fortnight,  which  brought  us  from  all  parts,  horse  and 
foot,  by  hundreds  every  day,  and  brisk  trade  has  been 
carried  on  aboard,  although  she  was  attended  by  two 
King's  Cutters,  the  Custom-boat  of  Falmouth,  and  Pen- 
ryn,  and  St.  Mawes,  and  the  last  five  or  six  days  by  a 
vessel  from  ye  Excise,  sent  down  from  London  to  wait 
on  her  Captain,  which  amongst  them  have  made  several 
Seizures." 

But  what  could  be  expected  when  laws  were  harsh, 
and  privateers  went  about,  and  it  was  everybody's  busi- 
ness to  catch  what  he  could  ?    Everyone  thought  it  fair 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  95 

play,  and  the  obliging  steward  of  the  Manor-office  him- 
self, who  had  ordered  two  dozen  hams  from  Portugal 
for  "  the  family,"  thus  recorded  the  matter  :  "  Twelve 
of  the  2  dozen  Hambs  came  from  the  Lisbon  Packet 
boat,  and  the  rest  are  expected  .  .  .  for  as  they  are 
lyable  to  the  Seizure  of  ye  Custom  house  officers,  a 
greater  number  by  one  ship  would  be  in  danger.  In 
like  manner  I  must  send  them  to  London  in  our  Tyn 
Ships.  .  .  .  and  the  best  Way  to  have  them  Safe, 
I  believe,  will  be  to  Send  a  trustey  Servant  for  them, 
who  will  Consult  with  the  Captain  on  ye  safest  means 
of  escaping  ye  Officers."  Who  could  resist  Lisbon  hams 
at  "  sixpence  or  ninepence  a-piece  "  ? 

Of  course  the  "  Packets  "  were  in  it,  for  a  time  at 
least.  In  1739  a  note  occurs  relating  to  them  and  affairs 
in  general.  "  The  Approaching  Warr  has  occasion'd  ye 
number  of  hands  aboard  our  Pacquets  to  be  Increased 
from  14  to  40,  which  brings  many  Saylors  to  Inhabit 
ye  Town  and  help  out  ye  Owners  of  ye  poorer  Sort  of 
Company.  ...  As  to  things  in  Generall  with  regard 
to  the  Estate  and  people,  in  particular  whether  ye  Town 
seems  to  be  in  a  thriving  condition,  whether  we  have  a 
prospect  of  getting  off  our  old  houses  upon  Lease, 
whether  we  are  in  danger  of  having  any  more  going  to 
ruin  or  bad  condition,  whether  from  the  Situation  of 
publick  affairs  we  may  expect  anything  good  or  bad, 
etc.  The  Town  seems  to  be  ///  statu  quo,  Trade  little, 
money  scarce,  a  plenty  of  Smuggled  Commodities,  and 
a  numerous  poor.  .  .  .  There  is  something  to  be  hoped, 
past  experience  teaching  us  that  the  Town  will  flourish 
in  a  French  war,  and  to  me  there  appears  little  doubt 
but  that  this  must  be  the  Consequence  of  a  rupture  with 
Spain."  Then  follows,  "  Captain  Clies  is  actually  Exche- 
quered  on  account  of  ye  Goods  imported  by  his  people." 

In  1743  things  came  rather  to  a  crisis.  "The  Com- 
missioners of  the  Customs  are  making  Sad  work  among 


96  Old  Fabnoiith. 

our  Shopkeepers  and  Pacquets  people,  and  seem  Deter- 
mined to  break  ye  Neck  of  the  trade  Carryed  on  in  these 
things,  wliich  I  apprehend  will  be  an  ll;4ly  thing  for  the 
Falmouth  people,  this  trade  being  ye  Best  Support  of 
our  Shopkeepers  who  send  over  Great  Quantities  of 
Woollen  Stockings,  hatts.  Pewter,  and  other  Goods  to 
ye  value  of  some  thousand  pounds  by  ye  Saylors  for 
Sale,  upon  Getting  a  Certain  price  upon  ye  Goods  to  be 
paid  for  when  sold  (what  the  Saylors  make  beyond  ye 
price  Sett  being  their  own),  and  if  not  to  be  returned. 
The  Saylors  on  receiving  ye  money  for  ye  Goods  at 
Lisbon  Lay  it  out  in  wines,  Sugars,  fruit  and  divers 
other  things  which  they  sell  at  an  Advantage  when  they 
come  home,  and  so  pay  the  Shopkeepers  either  in 
money  or  in  such  Portugall  Comodityes  ashe  Deals  in. 
This  trade  being  prejudiciall  to  ye  Wine  Merchants  at 
home  and  ye  English  factory  at  Lisbon,  Complaints 
have  been  frequently  made  on  it  to  ye  Commissioners 
of  ye  Customs  who  on  such  occasions  use  to  reprimand 
their  Officers  here  and  in  Consequence  of  that  a  Pacquet 
on  arriving  would  be  rummaged  and  stript  of  whatever 
Goods  were  found  in  her.  Upon  this  ye  Shopkeeper 
whose  goods  happened  to  be  brought  back  unsold  and 
to  be  Carried  to  ye  Custom-house  with  ye  rest  have 
usually  petitioned  ye  Commissioners  for  a  return  which 
has  always  been  granted,  they,  ye  Owners  gratifying  ye 
Officers  who  seized  them,  but  this  is  now  refused  and 
Severall  bales  of  these  Goods  bro't  ashore  from  ye 
Pacquets  of  late,  are  ordered  to  be  condemned.  The 
Ships  are  most  strictly  Searched,  and  ye  Captains 
threatened  with  prosecution,  and  ye  Exchequer  against 
one  of  whom,  Clyes,  a  suit  is  Actually  begun,  upon  an 
Act  of  King  Charles  ye  2nd,  which  prohibits  ye  Importa- 
tion or  Exportation  of  goods,  without  a  Lycence  from 
ye  Commissioners  of  Customs,  in  ye  Packquets,  under 
a  Penalty  of  a  ;^iooo  on  ye  Captain,  Loss  of  place  and 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  97 

forfeiture  of  ye  goods.  The  Captains  tho'  not  much 
Concerned  in  ye  trade  itself  find  their  Account  in  it,  for 
as  they  are  under  Contract  with  ye  Post  Master*  to 
provide  Ships,  men,  provisions,  and  wear  clear  for  so 
much  a  Quarter,  they  have  Saylors  at  low  wages,  and 
allow  them  no  Victualls  while  in  harbour,  by  which 
Last  ye  Captain  pockets  y^d  a  day,  (ye  Government 
allowance),  for  each  man  during  that  time,  whilst  ye 
Saylor  Man  makes  himself  amends  by  his  profitt." 

It  was  truly  observed  (1758),  that  "long  service  in 
Packets  goes  for  nothing  without  Interest,"  and  that 
"the  officers  and  men  must  smuggle  or  they  can't 
maintain  their  families." 

The  system  was  a  very  complicated  and  badly 
arranged  one,  and  efforts  were  made  by  outsiders  to 
make  money  by  speculating  in  the  packets  themselves. 
For  instance,  in  1793  two  West  Indian  packets  were 
contracted  for  with  the  Postmaster-General  by  Mr. 
Lewis,  "  a  London  Merchant,  who  is  to  provide  the 
ships  with  Captains,  men,  victuals,  and  everything,  for 
which  he  is  to  receive  from  the  General  Post  Office 
;^i25o  for  each  ship.  He  makes  as  good  a  bargain  as 
he  can  with  Captain  and  men.  On  the  Lisbon  line  the 
Captains  themselves  contract.  New  York  and  the  West 
Indies  have  always  been  taken  by  Merchants  in  London. 
Some  think  the  price  too  low  to  pay.'' 

That  many  of  the  Captains  disapproved  of  the 
contraband  trade  as  no  part  of  their  legitimate  work, 
is,  however,  evident. 

In  1788  a  great  dispute  arose  in  which  the  Captains 
were  arrayed  against  the  men.  (May  loth).  "  There 
has  been  a  great  Disturbance  amongst  the  Packets  folks, 
owing  to  an  agreement  lately  enter'd  into  by  the  Captains 
who  have  Resolved  that  the  Seamen  shall  not  hence- 
forth carry  out  any  more  than  a  Bushell  of  Potatoes 

*  Postmaster-General. 


98  Old  Fahnonth. 

each  man,  nor  more  than  one  Cheese  to  each  mess  of 
F'our  men,  nor  their  Chests  for  holding  their  Cloaths 
of  a  Greater  Dimension  than  3  feet  in  Length  by  18 
inches  in  Breadth  and  Depth  in  order  to  prevent  them 
from  purchasing  abroad  any  kind  of  Goods  which  may 
subject  the  Ship  to  Forfeiture.  This  arose  from  the 
Queen  Charlotte  Packet,  Captain  Clarke,  whose  ship  is 
now  detain'd  at  Jamaica  under  prosecution  for  some  of 
the  crew  having  Carryed  some  Cases  of  Geneva  and 
Smuggled  it  at  that  Island.  In  consequence  of  this 
resolve  the  Sailors  (about  150),  last  Saturday  quitted  the 
Packets,  and  sent  the  Agent  here  a  Letter,  Desiring  more 
Wages  in  Lieu  of  the  Priviledges  of  Carrying  out 
Potatoes  and  Cheese  for  Sale  on  which  trafhck  it  seems 
they  made  Considerable  Profftts.  Alledging  that  most 
of  them  are  married  and  have  famylies  to  maintain, 
Chiefly  Settled  in  this  Town,  for  that  they  are  not  able 
to  Support  them  at  the  Present  Wages  of  22  shillings 
per  month,  and  complaining  that  many  of  them  are 
often  discharged  at  their  Arrival  from  Sea,  and  Remain 
during  the  time  the  Packets  lye  here  in  the  Intervals 
of  the  ensuing  Voyage  without  any  wages,  and  those 
that  are  Retain'd  in  Pay  not  Totally  Discharg'd,  have  no 
other  Allowance  for  Victuals  whilst  in  Port  than  some, 
sixpence,  and  others  seven  pence,  once  in  Three  or  four 
days.  Captains  Bull  and  Clarke  are  gone  to  London 
in  behalf  of  themselves  and  their  Brethren  to  state  their 
Reasons.  And  the  Sailors  sent  a  Petition  last  Monday 
Morning  to  The  Postmasters "  (General)  "  by  one  of 
their  People  who  return'd  back  last  night  with  a  letter 
to  the  Agent  of  the  Packets,  and  its  reported  the  Post- 
masters are  Inclined  to  Redress  their  Complaints  by 
Ordering  an  Addition  to  their  Wages  and  some  further 
Regulation.  Most  of  the  Sailors  are  now  gone  on 
Board  their  respective  Packets,  except  those  belonging 
to   the   speedy,    Capt.    D'Auvergne,   and    the   Roebuck, 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  99 

Richards,  both  of  whom  (very  hastily)  went  to  Plymouth 
and  brought  down  some  Seamen  in  the  room  of  those 
who  left  them.  The  Sailors  have  conducted  themselves 
very  soberly  and  peaceably." 

To  this  is  added  (July)  :  "More  commotion  about 
the  Packets,  The  Captains  ordered  the  men's  chests  to 
be  made  smaller,  no  cheese  and  potatoes  to  be  taken  on 
board  and  their  wages  not  to  be  raised  yet.  Two 
Captains  insulted  in  the  street.  They  wanted  military 
assistance.  The  Corporation  objected,  and  advised 
extra  Constables.  Some  of  the  seamen  attempted  to 
take  out  others  on  board."  Finally,  the  men  returned 
to  their  duty  and  the  authorities  in  London  ordered  the 
men's  wages  to  be  raised,  for  they  had  certainly  made 
out  a  good  case.  Peace  and  quietness  were  then  restored. 
While  the  disturbance  was  going  on  there  were  fears  of 
the  packets  being  removed  to  Plymouth.  "  It's  the 
interest  of  the  Captains,"  remarked  Mr.  Davis,  "to  stay 
here,  where  these  great  Folks  have  all  attention  paid 
them  and  some  of  them  have  Property  here  and  in  the 
Neighbourhood."  He  added  that  he  thought  the 
Captains  should  not  be  too  strict  about  the  men  "  carry- 
ing out  a  few  small  trifles  which  they  could  return 
in  money." 

Prizes  were  very  common  and  a  profitable  revenue 
to  their  captors.  In  1744,  three  French  prizes  were 
brought  into  the  harbour  in  June,  followed  by  thirteen 
on  August  2nd.  From  a  Dutch  ship,  later  in  the  year, 
458  pipes  of  Canary  wine  were  landed. 

In  the  middle  of  the  century  what  may  be  called  the 
"  battle  of  the  quays  "  commenced.  Sir  Peter  Killigrew 
had  built  quays  for  Falmouth  which  cost  him  between 
seven  and  eight  thousand  pounds.  Certain  dues  had  to 
be  paid  by  vessels  in  consequence,  but  the  entire 
amount  was  not  more  than  ;^200  a  year,  which  was 
small  interest  for  the  outlay.     Thereupon  Mr.  Bassett, 


TOO  Old  Faliiwnfli. 

who  owned  land  opposite  Flushing,  planned  the 
building  of  a  quay  whicii  was  to  be  free  for  seven  years. 
This,  he  thought,  would  attract  not  only  ships  but 
builders  of  houses.  About  1740  the  Corporation 
entertained  the  idea  of  taking  leases  of  pieces  of  land  at 
Penwerris  next  the  sea,  "  there  to  build  a  New  Town, 
with  Keys  and  Conveniences  of  their  own."  Another 
rival  arose  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Trefusis,  who  was  full 
of  similar  plans.  "  The  affair  of  Bassett's  key  is  now 
revived,"  wrote  Mr.  Hall,  (in  1762),  and  Mr.  George 
Croker  Fox,  "  a  Quaker  Merchant  removed  from  Fowey 
into  a  house  in  ye  further  end  of  our  town,"  said  that 
"  Bassett  had  told  him  he  will  make  his  key  a  free 
key  if  it  costs  him  ;^5,ooo  to  efifect  it.  Mr.  Trefusis  is 
going  to  enlarge  greatly  his  keys  at  Flushing  with  the 
same  view."  And  at  first  Mr.  Fox  sought  to  enlist  the 
other  merchants  in  support  of  Mr.  Bassett. 

In  1765  Mr.  Robert  Cotton  Trefusis  desired  "to 
build  a  key  for  goods.  The  original  wharf  was  built 
sixty  years  ago,  with  some  cellars  and  houses  increased 
to  a  village  in  Queen  Anne's  time,  and  now  consists  of 
100,    the   present   gentleman  flowing  in  money.     His 

grandfather  married  one  of  the  daughters  of ,  the 

Secretary  to  ye  General  Post  Office,  who  carried  matters 
with  so  high  a  hand  as  to  obtain  an  cder  for  all 
Captains,  Officers  and  Seamen  belonging  to  ye  Packet 
boats  to  reside  in  Flushing  under  the  penalty  of 
forfeiting  their  places,  which  continued  many  years  and 
greatly  contributed  to  ye  building  of  houses  there."  The 
commissioners  of  Customs,  however,  reported  against 
the  proposed  quay,  and  the  Lords  of  the  Treasury, 
on  being  applied  to,  postponed  it.  In  the  previous  year 
Mr.  Trefusis  had  been  in  need  of  a  favour  from  the 
Wodehouse  family,  since  he  was  full  of  a  deer-park, 
and  desired  to  buy  a  plot  of  moorland  in  Mylor  from 
the  Manor  property  there,  "for  which  he  would  give 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  loi 

almost  any  price."     This  plan,  however,  he  dropped. 
Perhaps  it  was  incompatible  with  his  "  key." 

In  1769  amusing  incidents  took  place.  "One  day 
lately  Mr.  Trefusis  walked  down  to  ye  Keys,  looked 
about  and  then  went  up  to  ye  Custom  House  and 
complimented  the  collector,  at  ye  same  time  Exclaiming 
"  What  a  Custom  house  that  was  for  such  a  Port  as 
Falmouth,"  adding  that  if  his  keys  at  Flushing  were 
established  he  would  build  one  worthy  of  ye  port,  and 
also  a  handsome  Dwelling-house  and  Cellars  to  any 
degree  that  should  be  required."  He  wanted  to  obtain 
the  collector's  certificate  as  to  the  want  of  room  on  the 
Falmouth  quays,  and  "  called  two  or  three  times  at  ye 
Collector's  house  and  drank  Tea,  but  there  being  other 
Company  nothing  passed  on  ye  Subject.  However,  the 
Collector,  (who  communicated  this  under  ye  rose), 
seems  not  Inclined  to  join  in  with  him,  though  being  a 
warm  Man  he  has  sometimes  threatened  that  if  we 
can't  find  room  for  ye  Merchants  goods  he  will  grant 
sufferances  for  landing  them  elsewhere.''  A  little  later 
diplomacy  seemed  to  have  effected  something,  and  it 
is  quaintly  recorded  that  "  additional  cellars  for  the 
Merchants'  goods,  and  an  Indulgence  shown  the  mother- 
in-law  of  the  Collector — put  all  in  good  humour." 

But  the  agitation  went  on,  nevertheless. 

In  1773  a  committee  seems  to  have  been  formed  of 
which  Mr.  Richard  Carne  was  a  member.  "  And  the 
next  Morning  Mr.  Daubuz,  our  principal  Merchant,  and 
Mr.  Samuel  Groube's  Clerk,  (he  being  himself  ill,) 
waited  upon  me,  showing  The  Invitations  they  had 
received.  ...  It  gave  me  a  good  deal  of  Satis- 
faction to  find  such  open  Behaviour,  so  unusual  in 
former  Times  ;  Presuming,  therefore,  on  their  good  Dis- 
position to  your  Interest,  I  urged  them  not  to  appeal  to 
Mr.  Bassett  for  quays."  Mr.  Reynalls  also  said  that  all 
conveniences  necessary  for  goods  and  shipping  would 


I02  Old  Fahnouth. 

be  provided,  and  thought  that  the  Berkeley  family  had 
great  interest  with  Government,  which  would  never 
sanction  new  quays.  But  the  agitation  still  proceeded, 
and  Mr.  Trefusis  was  prepared  to  grant  facilities  for 
landing  goods,  and  "will  take  a  lower  Quayage  and 
Cellarage  than  is  done  at  Falmouth."  So  bent 
was  he  on  gaining  his  point  that  he  presented 
a  handsome  piece  of  plate  to  the  Collector  and 
canvassed  the  town.  "  Where,"  wrote  poor  Mr. 
Keynall,  "  will  all  this  end  !  I  much  fear  in  making 
the  ruin  of  Arwenack."  In  1774  the  merchants  joined 
Mr.  Trefusis  in  an  application  to  the  Treasury,  at  which 
piece  of  news  Mr.  Reynall  recorded  that  "these 
confounded  Alarms  tear  my  Nerves  to  Pieces."  And 
in  1779  even  an  opposition  ferry  was  set  up,  for  a  time. 
Competition  included  landlords  as  well  as  merchants. 

Unexpected  events,  however,  occurred  which  solved 
the  question.  In  1770  domestic  considerations  induced 
Mr.  Trefusis  to  give  up  his  projects,  "he  and  his  Lady 
have  left  the  County,  and  'tis  said  are  fixed  in  a  house 
he  has  bought  in  or  near  London."  A  public  sale  of 
the  stock  of  provisions  in  the  house  took  place.  And  a 
little  later  Mr.  Bassett  died,  leaving  a  son  who  was 
barely  thirteen  years  of  age,  (afterwards  Sir  Francis 
Bassett,  Bart,  and  Baron  de  Dunstanville).  Long  after, 
in  1790,  there  was  a  rumour  of  a  dry  dock  to  be  made 
by  Lord  de  Dunstanville,  but  this  too  ended  in  talk, 
and  the  whole  matter  died  out. 

In  1788  it  was  proposed  to  remove  the  Custom- 
house to  the  head  of  the  quay,  and  it  was  arranged, 
after  many  delays,  that  new  or  enlarged  quays  at 
Falmouth  were  to  be  licensed  on  condition  that  a  new 
Custom-house  should  be  built,  to  be  fitted  up  from  a 
warehouse  previously  leased  by  Mr.  G.  C.  Fox.  In 
1790  the  quays  were  at  last  licensed,  and  Captain  Pellew, 
the    brother  of   the  Collector,  was   wont    to   rate  Mr. 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  103 

Davis  owing  to  the  further  delay  in  building  the  Custom- 
house, which  was  certainly  not  the  poor  old  steward's 
fault,  for  he  was  ever  eager  to  promote  anything  for  the 
good  of  the  place.  However,  this  year  saw  it  com- 
menced and  nearly  finished,  and  on  its  completion  it 
appeared  a  "  Neat  Fabrick  with  7  Handsome  Windows 
in  Front,  but  not  very  Showy." 

After  this,  nothing  more  seemed  to  arise  in  the  way 
of  troublesome  "  rivals,"  and  the  Falmouth  quays  held 
their  own.  It  is  only  due  to  the  Wodehouse  family  to 
say  that  they  frequently  had  to  repair  damages  owing 
to  carelessness  in  bringing  in  ships  to  their  quays,  and 
were  not  always  refunded  ;  in  fact,  on  one  occasion  Sir 
John  Wodehouse  repaired  a  serious  injury  to  the  stone- 
work, and  on  the  urgent  appeal  of  the  young  man  acting 
as  captain,  who  was  engaged  to  be  married,  freed  him 
from  all  liability. 

The  town  seems  to  have  greatly  improved,  while 
the  old  feud  between  the  Manor-house  and  the  Cor- 
poration gradually  died  out.  The  representatives  of 
the  Killigrews  were  no  longer  in  personal  contact  with 
the  leading  men  of  the  place,  and  the  steward,  however 
devoted  to  the  interest  of  the  family,  sought  on  the 
whole  pacific  methods  with  the  people  among  whom 
he  had  to  dwell. 

In  these  later  days  good  houses  were  built.  A  nice 
house  had  been  built  by  Mr.  William  Russell  at  the 
Strand  in  1740,  And  in  1762  some  records  were  made 
as  to  what  was  going  on  :  "  Snoxell  has  now  finished  his 
building  of  Read's  house,  of  which  he  has  made  two 
dwellings,  three  Storeys  high,  brick  fronts,  with  Lofts 
and  warehouses  backwards  to  his  cost  of  upwards  of 
;^8oo.  You  may  judge  from  this  that  he  goes  on  well. 
He  has  a  son  about  eleven  years  of  age,  and  a  daughter, 
married  last  year  to  Mr.  Hooten.  They  live  in  one  of 
ye   new  houses,  and   I   believe  she   is   well  married." 


104  Old  Falmouth. 

Snoxell  also  held  leases  of  some  land  at  Trevethan. 
Then  Captain  Drake,  of  the  Duke  Packet,  proposed  to 
build  a  house  on  the  hill  leading  to  Trevethan  lane. 
And  in  1776,  some  of  the  Packet  captains  arranged  to 
"  build  Houses  for  themselves  in  a  Field  near  the  Key, 
now  occupied  by  Benjamin  Pender.  .  .  .  Their 
estimate  is  about  ;^5oo  for  each  house,  and  I  think  it 
will  come  to  more.  .  .  .  You  see  this  is  a  New 
Thing  and  may  have  agreeable  Consequences." 

Captain  James  Bull  laid  out  money  freely  on  his  own 
house,  and  in  1789  placed  before  Sir  John  Wodehouse 
his  project  of  expending  ;^2,ooo  in  building  a  good  inn 
for  Mr.  Robert  Blundstone,  who  was  about  to  lease  the 
old  "  King's  Arms,"  a  very  ancient  house,  on  which  the 
landlord  had  spent  ;^6oo,  and  still  found  it  to  be  incon- 
venient. In  this  project  Captain  Bull  had  the  support 
of  fourteen  of  the  Packet  commanders,  all  of  whom 
were  desirous  of  having  more  comfortable  quarters  for 
festivities,  and  had  been  well  pleased  with  Blundstone 
as  their  host.  After  a  good  deal  of  parley,  the  Captains 
in  question  bought  Mr.  Hocken's  ruined  dwelling-house 
to  obtain  more  space,  and  Captain  Bull  proceeded  with 
his  plan,  including  a  scheme  for  stabling  thirty  horses, 
and  making  the  whole  a  complete  building  with  large 
assembly  and  coffee-room.  The  hotel  in  question  was 
thereupon  built,  and  was  apparently  the  forerunner  of 
the  present  Royal  Hotel.  It  was  at  this  time  called  the 
New  Hotel. 

A  landing-place  opposite  at  the  Fish  Strand  fol- 
lowed, for  boats.  In  1791  two  venison  feasts  were 
spoken  of,  one  at  Blundstone's  for  the  Packet  Captains 
and  friends,  the  other  at  "William's  Hotel,  for  Sir 
Michael  Nowell  and  party."  Evidently  "ye  Barley 
Slieafe,"  kept  by  Mrs.  Joanna  Preston  in  the  middle  of 
the  century,  and  other  such  inns  were  altogether  too 
primitive  for  the  popular  demand  of  later  days.     Then 


Falnwnth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  105 

"Dashwood,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Captain  Couse, 
built  houses  on  Bassett's  land,"  and  Mr.  Rumbelow 
Vivian  decided  to  rebuild  a  substantial  house  in  lieu  of 
"  the  old  patched  buildings  destroyed." 

The  old  Market-house  was  said  to  be  dangerous,  and 
was  partly  pulled  down  in  1791.  "  We  are  got  about  the 
Repairs  of  the  Market  House,  and  a  Dismal,  Vexatious 
Jobb  it  is.  The  Foundation  being  a  meer  Swamp  it 
must  be  put  up  again  with  the  Lightest  Materials  (per- 
haps Woodwork),  to  Ease  the  Burden  of  the  Walls." 
The  cost  of  this  fell  on  the  Manor. 

It  is  interesting  to  read  the  observations  written  at 
the  time  on  the  hapless  war  with  our  American  Colonies. 
In  1777  there  was  a  bad  harvest.  "This  with  the  daily 
Injuries  done  to  Trade  by  the  contest  with  our  Colonies 
and  the  little  Appearance  of  tranquility  being  Re-estab- 
lished forms  upon  the  whole  a  very  melancholy  and 
affecting  Subject  of  Contemplation  to  every  Friend  of 
this  Country." 

The  following  passages  are  significant  as  to  the 
short-sightedness  of  the  Government,  and  the  circum- 
stances which  no  doubt  led  to  disaffection.  "  We  have 
had  a  fine  new  branch  of  business  at  these  Keys  for 
some  time  past,  in  pursuance  of  a  new  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment requiring  all  wines  shipped  in  Portugal  and  Spain 
for  our  North  American  Colonies  to  be  first  brought  to 
England  and  charged  with  ye  Crown  Dutyes,  for  which 
purpose  they  must  be  landed  and  then  re-shipped." 
This  must  have  been,  of  course,  a  great  burden  to  the 
importers. 

Again,  "The  accounts  we  have  from  time  to  time 
from  North  America  by  the  Packetts  are  nothing  more 
than  you  have  seen  in  the  public  prints,  oftentimes  not 
so  much,  for  the  Captains  of  all  these  Ships  are  under 
restrictions  with  regard  to  ye  divulging  any  extra- 
ordinary Intelligence  before  the  Government  receives 


io6  Old  Fahnonth. 

it.  Certainly  ye  late  decree  for  the  Stamp  dutyes  and 
that  too  to  be  paid  all  in  Cash,  followin<f  the  Injunc- 
tions given  our  Cruizers  on  that  Coast  to  prevent  ye 
usual  Contraband  trade  with  ye  Spaniards  from  whence 
their  Cash  most  chiefly  comes  seems  to  bear  extremely 
hard  upon  the  people,  who,  however,  I  think  are  run- 
ning matters  too  far  in  ye  way  they  are  taking  for  re- 
dress, for  some  of  their  Assembly  resolutions  tend  to 
dispute  ye  power  or  right  of  ye  British  Parliament  over 
them  so  far  as"  (illegible).  "These  other  things  past  are 
the  effects  of  a  Tory  Ministry, — may  we  never  see 
another  in  England." 

That  many  in  the  home  country  were  alive  to  the 
folly  of  the  ruling  powers  is  well  known,  and  Mr.  Davis 
wrote:  "You  have  given  a  lively  representation  of  our 
Case  with  regard  to  America,  which  carries  Conviction 
with  itself.  Would  one  think  it  then  possible  that  pride, 
ambition,  disappointment,  wrong,  or  whatever  you'll 
call  it  could  carry  men  to  such  lengths  as  we  have 
lately  seen  to  gett  ye  Stamp  Act  enforced  ;  and  yet  one 
can't  help  thinking  such  was  the  Case  with  some  of 
ye  greatest  men,  for  it  seems  impossible  to  think  they 
could  believe  their  own  Arguments  on  it  or  could  have 
any  but  bad  motives  to  do  what  they  did."  Provisions 
grew  dear  and  corn  scarce,  and  it  is  noted  in  1776 
(January  22)  :• — "A  transport  is  come  in  from  Boston 
with  Sick  and  wounded  Officers  and  Soldiers  to  recruit. 
Fire  and  provisions,  even  Salt  Meat,  are  very  scarce 
there,  and  the  Sea  swarms  with  the  American  Privateers. 
The  Provincials  have  drawn  their  lines  so  close  to  ye 
Town  that  the  Army  of  General  Howe  has  no  Inter- 
course with  the  Country  except  on  ye  side  of  Charles 
Town  with  Bunker's  Hill.  I  am  in  daily  Expectation 
of  Governor  Tryon  from  New  York." 

The  consequences  were  far-reaching,  and  in  fact 
have  been  so,  in  different  ways,  ever  since.     In   1789 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  107 

there  was  considerable  distress  among  the  poor  of 
Falmouth,  and  no  doubt  elsewhere.  Flour  and  barley 
were  obtained  and  sold  at  a  loss  of  one  third  of  the  cost, 
which  helped  them  to  some  extent,  but  the  "  tinners  " 
(miners),  marched  about  Cornwall,  determined  to 
obtain  bread  at  any  cost.  In  1791  the  town  was 
reported  as  "poor  and  money  scarce — not  much 
business." 

Thus  in  a  few  years  a  great  Colony  was  alienated 
from  us,  and  however  friendly  the  political  relations 
may  be  at  present  between  England  and  the  United 
States,  the  mass  of  the  Americans  who  do  not  visit 
Europe,  nor  mix  among  influential  English  people, 
remain  indifferent  to  the  mother  country,  to  which 
many  causes  other  than  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence have  conduced.  For  instance,  Irish  and  foreign 
emigration,  and  the  departure  from  our  shores  of 
numbers  of  people  who  had  either  no  stake  in  this 
country,  or  were  under  a  cloud  while  in  it.  While  the 
rapid  development  of  the  United  States  during  the 
last  century  and  the  increase  of  wealth,  have  enabled 
the  American  people  to  scout  the  old  attitude  of 
superiority  assumed  by  us  in  our  insulated  isle,  with 
our  national  prestige,  and  antiquities,  our  Royal  and 
ancient  families,  our  orders,  uniforms  and  display,  and 
to  base  their  sentiment  of  equality  with  any  other 
nation  on  their  vast  territories,  inventive  abilities,  and 
increasing  luxuries.  Such  is  the  American  feeling, 
apart  from  a  few  descendants  of  Massachusetts  colonists 
who  remained  on  after  the  war  and  accepted  the  new 
conditions — and  "  old  Virginians."  We  do  well,  there- 
fore, to  speak  and  write  of  our  American  cousins  with 
the  kindly  respect  they  have  earned,  and  to  do  other- 
wise would  be  to  repeat,  in  another  form,  the  blunder  of 
the  Stamp  Act,  which  tore  from  us  one  of  the  finest 
colonies  England  ever  possessed. 


io8  OIJ  Falmouth. 

Returning  to  our  main  subject — the  old  history  of 
the  town, — in  r7-|4aditticulty  arose  in  obtaining  ofhcials 
for  tlie  Corporation,  wliich  consisted  of  Mr.  VVillyams 
(Mayor),  and  Aldermen  Pye,  Hill,  Nathaniel  Steel,  and 
Vivian  ;  the  Burgesses  being  Messrs.  W.  Russell,  Melun, 
Nowell,  Bennett,  and  Gwin,  none  of  whom  wished  to 
be  in  ofhce  for  the  ensuing  year.  In  1768  the  same 
ditticulty  occurred.  "  Samuel  Groube,  one  of  our 
Merchants,  Stephen  Bell,  son  of  Agent  Bell,  Matthew 
Allison,  a  printer  and  stationer,  James  Bluett,  an 
Attorney,  and  Thomas  McLellan,  an  Upholsterer,  were 
summoned  by  our  Corporation,  after  being  elected 
Burgesses,  to  take  ye  oaths  of  office  and  on  ye  refusal 
of  the  four  tirst-named,  it  was  for  ye  present  resolved  to 
levy  by  distress  the  penalty  of  £6  on  each."  The  old 
Killigrew  leases  covenanted  against  ofhces  in  the  Cor- 
poration, thus  making  them  an  inconvenience,  and 
there  was  also  the  objection  to  examining  prisoners  of 
war,  which  no  doubt  occupied  much  of  the  Mayor's 
time.  The  four  called  upon  to  serve  as  Burgesses, 
however,  complied,  and  Mr.  Bell  was  chosen  Mayor 
whether  he  would  or  no. 

The  book  of  minutes  written  by  Mr.  Abraham  Hall, 
Senior,  date  from  17 17  until  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Killigrew. 

Mr.  Hall  wrote  his  last  letter  to  Mr.  Martin  Killigrew 
too  late  to  reach  the  old  gentleman,  for  on  the  nth  we 
find  him  addressing  himself  to  Mr.  Merrill,  from  whom 
he  had  heard  in  the  interval,  deploring  the  "  melancholy 
account  of  ye  death  of  my  friend  and  Benefactor,  Mr. 
Killigrew."  Two  years  previously  he  had  been  reported 
as  very  well,  but  he  was  aged.  That  he  was  kind  to  his 
friends  and  those  who  fell  in  with  his  ideas  there  is  no 
doubt,  and  he  was  inclined  to  be  generous  in  gifts  to 
church  and  town,  but  liked  them  to  be  settled  in  his  own 
way.    His  attention  to  details  receives  an  illustration  in  a 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  109 

little  piece  of  advice  to  Mr.  Hall,  who  wrote:  "The  late 
Mr.  Killigrew  used  Generally  to  send  down  his  Leases 
under  Franks,  and  encouraged  me  to  forward  them  up  so 
when  I  could,  directing  me  to  charge  ye  Tenants  with 
ye  same  money  the  postage  would  have  otherwise  come 
to,  and  putt  it  into  my  pocket.  This,"  says  he,  "  will 
buy  you  two  or  three  pairs  of  Shooes,  and  the  Custom 
of  making  a  Tenant  pay  postage  will  not  be  lost." 
Another  side  of  his  character  was  apparent  in  the  fact 
that  after  the  disputes  with  the  Corporation  he  ordered 
the  people  to  be  sent  out  of  the  two  houses  he  had 
given  for  the  use  of  the  poor  of  the  town,  directing 
— "That  not  a  penny  should  be  spent  in  repairs, 
and  that  the  houses  should  be  suffered  to  fall  to 
ruins." 

Mr.  Hall  (Junior)  referred  to  certain  enemies  he  had 
made  in  the  place  owing  to  his  adherence  to  the  Killi- 
grew interests,  and  in  writing  to  Mr.  Merrill  expressed 
a  hope  that  nothing  would  take  place  to  deprive  him  of 
his  post.  And  he  remained  in  it,  I  conclude,  until  his 
death  in  1771. 

Mr.  (or  the  Rev.)  W.  H.  Reynall  partly  acted 
as  steward  from  about  1736  to  1773  or  later.  He 
did  not  appear  to  be  a  strong  man,  and  became  ner- 
vously agitated,  as  we  have  seen,  about  the  "keys."  In 
1772  he  recorded  that  he  had  been  "so  much  out  of 
Order  that  last  Night  I  was  obliged  to  send  for  the 
Physical  Folks  in  a  Hurry  :    I  am  now  a  little  better." 

Then  came  Mr.  Richard  Davis,  who  was  an  excellent 
and  clear-headed  steward  of  the  estate  for  many  years. 
He  held  on  as  long  as  age  permitted,  but  found  at  last 
that  sitting  at  his  desk  and  writing  were  too  much  for 
him,  and  his  last  few  letters  were  written  by  his  clerk, 
Thomas  Westcott.  In  Westcott's  last  letter  to  Sir  John 
Wodehouse,  on  March  i6th,  1792,  he  stated  that  Mr. 
Davis  died  immediately  after  returning  from  a  drive  in 


1 10  Ohi  Falnwtith. 

.1  chaise.  He  was  doubtless  very  aged,  as  in  one  of  his 
letters  he  referred  to  his  wife  as  "  turned  ninety."  These 
three,  the  Halls  and  Richard  Davis,  were  able  and 
faithful  adherents  of  the  family  they  served,  one  after 
the  other,  for  nearly  a  century. 

We  have  seen  how  little  by  little  the  old  Manor 
dwindled,  its  glory  waning  year  by  year,  its  groves  and 
far-stretching  meadows  yielded  to  alien  uses.  The 
stately  old  avenue  was,  as  we  know,  leased  for  a  rope- 
walk,  and  the  fields  "  at  ye  head  of  Arwenack  walk " 
were  leased  to  one  Pascoe,  who  was  allowed  (in  1740) 
to  continue  his  tenancy  until  Christmas,  "that  he  might 
not  Come  to  a  loss  on  his  Cows  which  he  had  sett  out," 
Land  was,  in  fact,  rented  to  the  very  doors.  About  this 
time  the  Erisey  estate  was  dismembered,  and  the  old 
mirrors  and  marble  chimney-pieces  were  brought  to 
Arwenack.  It  is  stated  in  1760  that  Mrs.  Mary  Erisey, 
after  the  House  of  Lords  had  decreed  that  the  Erisey 
estate  should  go  to  Colonel  West's  daughters,  and  an 
account  be  rendered  of  the  profits  for  the  period  of  Mrs. 
Erisey's  possession,  immediately  "  went  beyond  Seas 
and  Carried  her  Effects  with  her,  to  avoid  being  Stripped 
of  them  in  pursuance  of  that  decree."  She,  however, 
afterwards  returned,  when  it  was  arranged  she  should 
give  in  an  account,  and  enjoy  the  income  of  certain 
funds  for  life,  the  principal  to  go  to  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Berkeley  and  her  sister.  At  this  time  some  land  was 
bought  by  the  family  in  Somerset. 

As  we  have  said  elsewhere,  visits  to  the  old  Manor- 
house  became  few  and  far  between.  In  1738,  as  already 
mentioned.  Colonel  West  and  Mr.  Merrill  visited  it,  and 
in  1744  Colonel  West  seems  to  have  gone  there  with  a 
Miss  Killigrew.  In  1738  Mrs.  Merrill  died,  after  the 
birth  of  a  daughter.  In  1750  Colonel  West  died,  and  in 
the  same  year  a  son  was  born  to  the  Berkeleys.  And 
Mr.  Berkeley  spent  a  week  at  Arwenack  on  his  way  to 


y. 


y. 

H 

y 

»»: 

u 

X 
H 


X 


U 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  iii 

Erisey  in  the  autumn  of  1751.*  The  house,  in  1772,  is 
mentioned  as  being  very  dilapidated,  with  cracked  panes 
of  glass  and  decaying  window-frames,  but  the  estate  was 
more  flourishing  than  it  had  been  in  former  years. 

Many  lands  and  fine  estates  were  once  owned  in 
Cornwall  by  the  Killigrews,  long  ago  sold  off.  An 
ancient  MS.  written  by  one  of  the  family,  and  without 
name  or  title,  gave  an  account  of  these  lands  and  manors. 

In  1743  M.  Hall  wrote  to  a  member  of  the  family, 
"I  see  by  it"  (Mr.  Killigrew's  letter)  "  that  ye  Killigrew 
estate  ran  along  to  Penryn  near  ye  Sea  as  well  as  above 
it,  taking  in  ye  Mannor  of  Penryn  ferry,  which  being 
now  Bishop's  Land  I  thought  had  never  been  in  ye 
family,  but  was  a  part  of  the  Estate  belonging  to  ye  old 
Dissolved  Monastery  at  Penryn  and  afterwards  annexed 
to  ye  Bishoprick.  The  same  of  Kergillack  in  Budock, 
and  Penwerris  was  formerly  part  of  the  Killigrew  estate, 
and  I  have  now  authority  for  asserting  it.  ...  I  shall 
take  care  of  ye  originall  map  when  you  send  it  me,  and 
[it]  will  be  an  Appendix  to  your  history  of  ye  family. 
It  shows  ye  Author  to  have  been  a  thoughtful,  worthy 
Man,  who  Chalks  out  a  plain  way  for  Clearing  and  pre- 
serving his  estate,  and  ti's  surprising  that  in  two  Genera- 
tions after,  such  an  estate,  of  which  this  map  shows 
only  a  part,  could  be  Squandered  as  to  be  reduced  to  a 
single  Mannor,  consisting  of  Little  more  (at  that  time) 
than  some  Coarse  Lands  and  Commons,  which  you 
have  since  had  ye  glory  of  raising  from  its  obscurity, 
and  attracting  to  it  ye  Envy  of  its  neighbouring  Lords." 

The  following  description  by  Mr.  Richard  Davis  of 
the  property  in  1785  is  interesting:  "The  Arwenack 
estate  consists  of  nine-tenths  of  all  the  houses  in  Fal- 
mouth. .  .  .  These  houses  are  for  the  most  part  low 
and  ill-built,  but  perhaps  are  more  convenient  for  the 

*A  curious  note  is  made  in  1761,  when  Mr.  Davis  wrote  to  Mr. 
Dunbar,  who  was  elected  for  an  Irish  seat :  "  I  congratulate  you  on  your 
seat  in  ye  House  of  Commons  of  Ireland." 


112  Old  Falnioiiili. 

Inhabitants  than  modern  Buildings  would  be,  thou^i^h 
of  this  Sort  some  few  have  lately  been  erected.  The 
Place  is  divided  in  Point  of  internal  Government  and 
Regulation  into  two  Districts  called  the  town  and 
Parish  of  P'almouth,  the  former  under  the  Mayor  and 
Corporation,  and  Parochial  Officers  chosen  from  among 
the  Inhabitants  of  that  part  of  the  Ground  which  was 
built  upon  and  inhabited  at  the  Time  of  Granting  the 
Charter,  the  latter  being  subject  to  the  Magistrates  of 
the  County,  and  appointing  its  Overseers,  Churchwar- 
dens, Constables,  etc.,  as  Country  Parishes  in  general 
do.  ...  All  the  houses  are  held  by  leases  for  99  Years 
determinable  by  three  Lives  named  by  the  Lessee, 
who  purchases  his  Interest  therein  for  a  Fine,  and  is 
also  subject  to  an  Annual  Rent  called  a  conventionary 
Rent  and  in  most  Instances  to  a  Trifiing  Service,  such 
as  a  Day's  Work  in  Harvest,  a  day's  Carriage  of  horse, 
a  Capon,  a  Cheese,  Etc.,  or  an  Acknowledgement  of  the 
same  ;  also  to  a  Toll  for  Corn  supposed  to  be  brought 
into  the  Market  and  a  Heriot  against  Death  of  a  Life. 
But  these  being  the  reversions  of  ancient  Tenures  are 
not  reserved  in  all  the  Leases,  but  are  sometimes  sunk 
in  the  general  name  of  Rent,  which  seems  to  me  the 
best  way,  as  it  has  the  same  Effect,  with  less  trouble." 
.  .  .  There  were  also  the  "Quay  duties.  Market  dues," 
(and  as  mentioned)  "heriots  or  sums  paid  on  the  deaths 
of  lives  on  the  houses." 

The  Manor  (1791)  is  described  as  comprising  the 
"  Bartons  of  Trevethan,  Tregenver,  and  Trescobeas, 
part  of  Prislow,  and  part  of  Treganiggey,  the  Custom- 
House,  Lofts,  Cellars  and  Warehouses  on  the  Quays, 
and  all  the  houses,  etc.,  in  the  town  and  parish  of 
Falmouth,  the  Flushing  F'erry-boat,  Markets  and  Fairs 
of  P\ilmouth,  Pendennis  Castle,  and  some  land  at  Mylor." 

At  this  time  an  application  was  made  for  working 
a  lead  mine  at  Swanpool,  the  lode  being  supposed  to 


Falmouth  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  113 

run  north-east,  under  the  pool.  It  was  then  thought 
the  lode  was  valuable,  and  ore  was  found,  which, 
however,  was  never  sufficient  to  pay  all  the  expenses  of 
pumping  and  smelting.  It  was  a  belief  in  this  lode 
which  cost  Mr.  Joshua  Fox  so  much  money.  In  1790 
a  report  arose  of  "a  rich  silver  [lead]  mine  discovered 
in  Lord  Falmouth's  land  near  Perranzabuloe,"  in  which 
"  Messrs.  Carne  and  Fox  were  largely  concerned."  But 
this  mine,  too,  turned  out  a  failure. 

Notwithstanding  the  apparent  value  of  the  Manor 
property,  the  income  arising  from  it  was  by  no  means 
large,  and  there  were  continual  outgoings  for  enlarging 
or  repairing  the  quays,  or  the  market-house,  or  for 
renovating  Arwenack  house,  salaries  to  stewards,  col- 
lectors of  dues,  and  for  other  things  concerning  the 
landlord.  And  tenants,  even  the  more  important  ones, 
were  backward  in  their  payments,  while  occasionally 
some,  through  misfortune  or  other  circumstances,  failed 
to  pay  at  all.  It  is  easy  to  understand  that  even  now, 
under  the  different  system  in  vogue,  and  the  large 
increase  of  houses  with  their  ground-rents,  the  owner 
of  the  old  Killigrew  property  in  Falmouth  is  by  no 
means  enriched  by  his  estate,  which  became  greatly 
contracted  since  the  dates  mentioned  in  this  chapter. 

The  names  of  Killigrew,  Arwenack,  Lister,  Erisey, 
Merrill,  Berkeley,  Wodehouse,  and  at  last,  Kimberley, 
bestowed  on  streets  and  terraces  long  after  the  family 
had  gone  from  the  neighbourhood,  attest  the  desire  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  place  that  the  old  family  should 
be  held  in  remembrance.  The  beautiful  little  park, 
called  after  its  donor,  testifies  how  pleasant  feelings 
have  long  replaced  old  feuds,  and  is  a  source  of  enjoy- 
ment to  many  who  sit  under  the  fine  trees  and  listen  to 
the  bird  songs  and  the  murmur  of  the  brook.  These 
days  are  after  all  better  than  the  old  ones,  however 
much  the  story  of  the  latter  may  engage  our  interest,  as 
recalling  the  happenings  of  a  fast-fading  past. 


CHAPTER   V. 
Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service. 

IT  was  the  old  Packet  Service  which  came  to  the  aid 
of  the  Killigrews  in  1688  and  really  made  Falmouth. 
It  lasted  over  one  hundred  and  sixty  years,  and  from  the 
first  as  a  station,  led  among  the  ports  from  which  mails 
were  received  or  despatched.  For  so  many  years  the 
General  Post  Office  has  contracted  in  a  business-like 
way  for  the  conveyance  of  mails  with  the  great  ocean 
steamship  companies,  that  few  remember  the  romance 
of  other  days.  For  in  old  times  it  was  far  different.  A 
few  brigs,  hired  by  the  department,  or  provided  by 
private  individuals,  and  armed  for  defence,  carried  the 
mails  to  Lisbon,  New  York,  and  the  West  Indies.  As 
a  rule,  each  had  a  little  crew  of  about  thirty  men,  with 
a  master,  a  mate,  a  surgeon,  and  the  commander. 
Equipped  in  this  fashion,  they  prepared  to  face  not  only 
the  Atlantic  storms,  but  the  onslaughts  of  privateers  of 
various  countries,  which  frequently  bore  down  on  the 
little  vessels  in  twos  or  threes  and  engaged  them  in 
desperate  conflicts.  Sometimes  they  were  captured, 
and  the  mail-bags,  heavily  shotted,  were  consigned  at 
the  last  moment  to  the  depths  of  the  ocean,  and  some- 
times they  repulsed  the  enemy  and  came  off  with  flying 
colours.  The  voyages  of  the  packets  excited  the  keenest 
interest  in  F'almouth  and  Flushing,  where  the  families 
not  only  of  the  captains,  but  most  of  the  crews  resided, 
and  when  news  of  a  fierce  encounter  reached  the  place, 

"4 


H 


« 
a 


Id 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  115 

or  a  packet  slowly  sailed  in  and  fired  her  gun,  with  some 
of  her  rigging  torn  away  and  otherwise  bearing  evidence 
of  a  fateful  cruise,  great  was  the  anxiety,  or  still  more 
the  rejoicing,  of  those  on  shore.  When  some  poor 
fellows  had  been  killed  or  taken  prisoners,  or  the  com- 
mander had  lost  his  life,  then  came  days  of  mourning. 
The  very  life  of  Falmouth  in  those  times  was  intertwined 
with  the  packets. 

During  the  very  earliest  years  three  packets  only 
sailed  from  Falmouth  :  the  Allyance,  commanded  by 
Captain  Green,  the  Expedition  by  Captain  Francis  Clies, 
and  the  Prince  by  Captain  Zachary  Rogers,  all  of  whom 
were  appointed  in  1689,  and  sailed  to  and  from  Lisbon, 
or  Lixbon,  as  it  was  then  called.  The  name  of  Clies 
appears  many  times  in  the  first  and  second  volumes  of 
the  parish  register,  showing  that  the  family  lived  in 
Falmouth.  In  fact,  a  son,  "Francis  Clies,  Junr."  com- 
manded the  Expedition  at  a  later  date,  and  thirty  years 
after,  William  Clies  had  the  same  packet  and  sailed  to 
the  same  port.  It  was  so  also  with  the  Dillons.  Robert 
Dillon  was  appointed  to  the  Duke,  on  the  West  India 
station  in  1705,  and  a  second  Robert  Dillon,  a  grandson, 
in  1770  to  the  Mercury,  which  sailed  to  New  York.  His 
brother  was  vicar  of  Mylor.  A  picture  of  the  old  packet, 
painted  on  glass,  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Montgomery, 
of  Penzance,  great-grandson  of  the  last  named  com- 
mander, has  been  copied,  by  his  kind  permission,  and 
gives  an  excellent  idea  of  one  of  the  Falmouth  packets 
at  that  date.  The  same  packet,  or  one  of  the  same 
name,  was  also  commanded  by  Captain  Joseph  Dillon 
in  1778.  Of  old  Falmouthians,  Peter  Bown  was 
appointed  to  the  Prince  George  in  1746  for  Lisbon,  and 
there  were  two  Todds,  two  Bouldersons,  and  two 
Lovells,  the  latter  appointed  in  the  first  decades  of  the 
century.  Some  came  and  went,  but  others  took  root  in 
the  land.     The  Barton  of  Trethewell,  near  St.  Columb, 


ii6  Old  Falnwnih. 

was  purchased  about  179H  by  Captain  Lovell  Todd,  and 
his  son,  P\)rtescue  Todd,  became  vicar  of  St.  Austell. 
Then  came  the  Bulls  :  James  Bull,  who  spent  his  life 
in  the  service,  appointed  in  1778  to  the  Granthavi, 
West  Indies  and  America,  etc.  ;  Samuel  Bull  in  1782 
to  the  Shclburne  on  the  same  station  ;  followed  by 
Captain  Adoniah  Schuyler,  1786,  to  the  Swalloiv,  and 
Captain  Yescombe, *  1787,  to  the  King  George,  in  which 
he  was  killed  during  action,  are  all  among  those  whose 
names  are  remembered  by  some  in  that  first  century  of 
service.  Descendants  or  relations  of  several  of  the  above, 
and  also  Captain  Porteous,  still  dwell  in  Falmouth. 

Captain  Robert  Lovell  seems  to  have  been  a 
conspicuous  figure  among  the  commanders.  In  1739 
Mr.  Hall  states  that  "  he  is  going  to  leave  us,  some  say 
for  Penryn,  and  others  for  a  Country  Seat  of  ye  late  Mr. 
Worth's,  about  3  miles  off,  and  that  he  is  to  be  married 
to  a  Lady  at  London  where  he  is  lately  gone."  In  1741 
further  tidings  are  recorded  :  "Captain  Lovell  is  come 
down  with  his  new  Ship,  or  rather  old  one  Cutt  in  two, 
and  lengthened  to  carry  20  Guns  great  and  small.  She 
is  now  halting  into  ye  Peer  to  grave  ;  Flushing  keys 
where  she  used  to  go  being  unsafe  for  her.  The  Cap- 
tain being  forced  to  Quitt  Emmett's  house  on  its  being 
bought  by  Captain  Sadler  (who  is  removed  into  it),  is 
gone  into  ye  fourth  Meadow  house,  formerly  Jones's 
which  Captain  Bell  rented,  who  lives  with  his  father- 
Law,  Mr.  Banfield.  If  this  house  be  thought  grand 
enough  by  Captain  Lovell's  London  wife  he  will  stay 
there."  Evidently  it  did  not  suit  the  requirements  of 
that  lady,  for  in  the  following  year  it  was  noted  that 
"  Capt.  Lovell  has  taken  Trefusis  house  and  Gardens 
for  18  years  at  20  guineas  a  year."  Captain  Thomas 
Lovell  married  a  daughter  of  Peter  Bown,  and  resided 
at  Flushing  in  or  about  1742. 

•There  is  a  monument  to  his  memory  in  Mylor  Church. 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  117 

Mr.  Hall  wrote  in  May,  1744  :  "  We  have  an  Account 
this  post  that  Captain  Cocart  has  succeeded  in  getting 
a  ship  of  four  to  be  stationed  under  his  Command  on 
our  Coast  at  a  Charge  of  ye  Government,  and  t'is 
thought  ye  Captains  of  ye  Pacquets  will  all  have  20 
Gun  ships  if  ye  Warr  with  France  continues."  In  this 
connection  it  was  added  that  the  harbour  was  then  in  a 
bad  state,  "  not  more  than  two  or  three  ships  can  ride 
now  without  grounding  every  tide  at  Low  water." 

Prizes  were  seized  upon,  and  so,  very  often,  were 
the  packets.  In  1760  (December),  "Captain  Douglas, 
one  of  our  Groyne  Packets,  was  taken  on  her  last 
voyage  out ;  the  Captain  and  Crew  were  sett  ashore  in 
Spain,  and  are  come  home."  And  in  February,  1761, 
^'Another  ol  our  Groyne  Packets,  the  Fox,  Captain 
Broad,  has  been  taken  and  carried  into  Bayonne.  The 
Captain  and  his  Master  are  come  home.  Captain 
Douglas  has  another  ship."  Again,  "the  French  have 
picked  up  another  of  our  Packet  boats,  viz.,  the  Lady 
Augusta^  Captain  Watson,  bound  to  the  West  Indies." 
"  There  have  been  7  of  our  Packets  taken  since  the  War, 
Viz.,  I  Lisbon,  2  Corunna,  2  West  Indies,  and  2  New 
York  ones."  "  The  Packet  boats,"  remarked  the  writer, 
^'are  of  different  sizes,  but  none  of  them  big  or  strong 
enough  to  defend  themselves  against  a  privateer  of  four. 
The  biggest  has  but  60  Men,  and  their  safety  depends 
on  their  Sailing."  He  hardly  realised  what  these  small 
vessels  could  do  when  hard  pressed. 

The  elements  also  made  war  upon  them.  The 
year  1794  saw  the  loss  of  the  Hanover,  "a  Lisbon 
Packet-boat,  Capt.  Joseph  Sherburn,  in  ye  North 
Channell  homeward  bound  in  ye  Storm  of  2nd  of 
December.  Three  common  Seamen  only  were  saved 
by  being  washed  upon  rocks  by  the  seas.  There  were 
26  on  board  besides  the  Captain  and  6  passengers,  and 
^^30,000  in  money  in  an  iron  chest."     Again,  in  the 


ii8  Old  Fahnoittli. 

same  year:  "The-  /'///  Packet  is  arrived  from  New 
York  and  brin^^s  an  account  that  the  Countess  of  Leicester, 
Captain  Willeston,  on  ye  New  York  Station  is  lost  on 
the  coast  of  N.  Carolina  in  her  voya<^e  out.  The 
Captain  and  crew,  except  four  of  ye  latter,  are  saved."* 

Again,  "  I  shall  not  be  sorry  to  hear  of  the  removal 
of  Lord  Walsingham,  who  wants  to  reduce  the  packets 
to  130  Tons  Burthen,  and  the  number  of  Seamen  from 
30  to  18  each  Packet."  Happily,  instead  of  this  it  was 
decreed  that  "  the  Packets  are  all  to  be  of  the  Burthen 
of  173  Tons  and  to  Carry  30  Men  each,"  costing  ^^3,000 
per  ship,  and  being  twenty  in  number.  Some  of  the 
Commanders  seem  to  have  made  money,  and  as  early 
as  1742  Captain  Uring,  of  the  Prince  George,  died  leaving 
;^7,ooo,  a  sum  worth  considerably  more  in  those  days 
than  it  would  be  now. 

In  all  there  were,  during  the  first  ten  years,  three  or 
four  captains,  and  some  five  or  six  vessels  connected 
with  the  Falmouth  station.  For  many  years  the  sailing 
was  confined  to  Lisbon,  the  West  Indies,  New  York, 
and  Corunna.  In  the  middle  of  that  century  Groyne, 
Florida,  South  Carolina,  and  Gibraltar  were  included, 
and  towards  its  close  special  mails  were  despatched  to 
Barbadoes,  the  Leeward  Islands,  and  Charlestown. 
From  half-a-dozen,  the  packets  increased  to  a  fleet  of 
forty  ;  and  so  safe  was  the  harbour  that  the  vessels, 
it  is  stated,  when  arriving  at  night  invariably  sailed  into 
it  and  in  safety,  without  making  any  delay  for  daylight, 
as  happened  in  the  case  of  other  ports. 

The  Packets  sailed  under  contract  with  the  General 
Post  Office,  and  the  Commanders  were  appointed  by 
that  department.     The  vessels,  later  on — from   180  to 

*In  Sixty  Years  and  More  (Recollections  of  Flushing),  by  James  Rowe, 
an  interesting  booklet  printed  in  1897,  it  is  stated  that  the  son  of  William 
Tregidgo,  who  was  miraculously  saved  when  the  Lady  Hobart  Packet  was 
lost  in  1803,  still  lives  in  Flushing.     The  Packet  struck  on  an  island  of  ice. 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  119 

200  tons — were  the  property  sometimes  of  the  captains, 
and  sometimes  of  shareholders  who  received  one  third 
of  the  freights,  and  were  hired  by  the  Government  at  a 
charge  of  some  ;^i8oo  per  annum  each.  And  it  was  a 
vessel  of  this  size  which  sometimes  put  to  flight  a  couple 
of  heavily-armed  privateers  ! 

The  most  exciting  things  that  occurred  at  Falmouth 
were  the  action  which  Captain  John  Bull  (son  of  the 
James  Bull  already  mentioned),  fought  outside  Pen- 
dennis  Castle,*  and  the  mutiny  of  the  Packetsmen,  both 
of  which  have  been  ably  recounted  by  Mr.  Arthur 
Norway  in  his  History  of  the  Post  Office  Packet  Service. 

The  latter  had  a  serious  result.  Naval  discipline 
being  required,  in  1818  the  Admiralty  took  over 
the  Packet  administration,  and  peace  having  been 
proclaimed,  there  was,  curiously  enough,  an  end  to  the 
old  fighting  service  and  the  regular  arming  of  the 
vessels.  It  was  thought  that  these  ships,  some  of  which 
were  ten-gun  brigs,  each  under  the  command  of  a  naval 
lieutenant,  would  offer  useful  training  for  the  navy. 
But  though  they  no  longer  fought  with  an  enemy's 
frigates  or  privateers,  the  elements  dealt  roughly  with 
them.  The  ships  were  narrow,  ill-armed,  badly  con- 
structed, and  built  with  high  bulwarks,  which  could 
enclose  water  to  the  extent  of  200  tons.  When  they 
shipped  water  it  was  retained  on  deck.  Lord  Exmouth 
said  of  them,  "  They  will  drown  their  crews."  The  late 
Sir  John  Tilley  (Secretary  of  the  G.P.O.),  who  lived  to 
an  advanced  age,  remembered  their  being  humorously 
dubbed  "bathing-machines."  In  Falmouth  they  were 
known  by  the  more  significant  name  of  "  coffin-ships." 

*  This  action  was  fought  in  1810  with  a  Privateetj  which  encountered 
the  Marlborough  as  she  was  about  to  enter  the  harbour.  After  a  smart 
engagement,  in  which  she  received  broadsides  from  the  Marlborough,  the 
Privateer  made  off.  Naturally  this  caused  excitement  in  Falmouth,  and 
Captain  Bull  and  his  Packet  became  popular  from  that  time. 


I20  Old  Fabnoiiih. 

In  tlm  Royal  Cornwall  Gazette  and  Fahnouth  Packet  of 
March  28th,  1829,  appeared  a  letter  of  ^rave  comment 
on  "the  recent  loss  of  three  of  H.  M.  Packets  on  the 
Falmouth  station,  man-of-war  hri<4s,  two  on  their  first 
voyage,  all  within  the  last  eighteen  months."  It  refers 
to  their  being  so  badly  built  that  they  were  "hard  to 
manage  with  a  full  complement  of  seventy-five  men," 
and  that  "  one  had  just  arrived  with  all  her  ports  stove 
in,  in  a  gale,  which  saved  her."  Among  the  commanders 
thus  lost  were  two  brothers  called  Downey,  still  remem- 
bered by  one  or  two  of  the  very  old  inhabitants.  At 
a  later  date  the  loss  of  three — the  Redpole,  Hearty,  and 
Ariel — was  again  referred  to,  and  also  of  the  Myrtle 
which  went  ashore  on  Rugged  Island  in  April,  although 
in  that  case  "all  hands  were  saved."  The  Recruit  was 
also  lost,  and  the  Calypso,  Thais,  and  Briseis  foundered 
in  like  manner. 

But  to  return  to  the  older  days.  One  of  my  early 
recollections  was  of  an  old  water-colour,  in  which  a 
Packet  was  waylaid  by  two  American  privateers,  one  on 
each  side  of  her,  while  another  was  approaching  in  the 
distance.  Clouds  of  smoke  rolled  from  the  port-holes 
of  the  Packet  and  her  enemies,  and  the  action  was 
evidently  hot  and  stirring.  It  was  the  Granville  which 
was  thus  beset,  commanded  by  Captain  William 
Kempthorne,  and  beneath  the  drawing,  culled  from 
Gilbert's  History  of  Cornwall,  were  the  words  : — 

"  In  the  Year  of  1777,  Captain  William  Kempthorne 
was  opposed  off  the  Island  of  Barbadoes  in  H.  M. 
Packet  Granville,  to  three  American  Privateers,  two  of 
whom  were  each  of  equal  force  to  the  Granville,  and 
lay  alongside  her  in  a  raking  position.  After  a  desperate 
Action  in  which  the  Captain  received  a  severe  wound  in 
his  head  and  lost  the  roof  of  his  mouth,  the  enemy  was 
compelled  to  sheer  off,  and  the  Granville  with  her  brave 
Commander  returned  safe  to  England." 


~1 


r-    f')M\-    ^(;o()ilJ)UIl><iK.  Ao-cd  7» 


r//( 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  121 

"Safe  to  England!"  How  full  of  joyous  success 
and  victory  the  words  sound.  One  can  imagine  how 
the  good  Captain,  one  of  a  long  line  of  sea-faring 
ancestry  whose  names  frequently  appear  in  our  naval 
annals,  was  received  at  Flushing.  These  were  anxious 
times,  for  Packets  were  no  doubtful  prizes  on  the 
homeward  route,  since  they  brought  over  gold  in  specie 
and  in  bars. 

Near  to  the  water-colour  hung  a  little  oval  portrait, 
painted  by  Opie,  of  a  dark-faced  man,  father-in-law  of 
Captain  Kempthorne,  whose  countenance  bore  tokens 
of  having  been  out  in  wind  and  weather.  This  was 
Captain  John  Goodridge,*  of  an  old  Devonshire  family, 
who  also  lived  at  Flushing,  and  who  on  his  retirement 
from  the  command  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  Packet 
occupied  his  leisure  in  writing  a  quaint  old  book  called 
the  Phoenix,  printed  in  1780,  wherein  he  set  forth  many 
things  of  which  his  mind  was  full.  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  they  chiefly  concerned  the  destruction  of  the 
world  some  centuries  hence  by  a  comet,  a  rather 
lugubrious  topic.  The  good  man  had  arrived,  how- 
ever, at  the  conclusion  that  the  stars  he  so  often  gazed 
upon  out  at  sea  were  not  made  for  the  exclusive  benefit 
of  our  little  planet,  which  some  in  those  days  thought 
"  irreligious."  Dr.  Wolcot's  sonnet  to  him  is  a  flat- 
tering little  conceit,  which  was  pasted  in  copies  of  his 
book  meant  for  family  circulation.  Like  many  others 
he  was  full  of  the  future  of  the  American  Colonies. 
He  acquired  ov^er  8,000  acres  of  land  in  the  State  of 
Albany,    but   found    it   a   troublesome   business.      His 

*  I  have  reproduced  the  quaint  little  engraving  which  formed  the 
frontispiece  to  the  Phoenix,  but  the  face  is  very  inferior  to  that  of  the  por- 
trait. I  should  state  here  that  I  have  given  illustrations  of  the  older 
Packets,  as  prints  of  the  later  ones  are  still  very  numerous  and  have 
already  been  used  in  illustrating.  I  have,  however,  failed  to  hear  of  any 
other  portraits  of  the  older  Packet  commanders,  and  have  therefore  copied 
the  one  in  my  own  possession. 


122  Oh!    FdllllOtllll. 

fifty  settlers  taken  out  to  colonise  on  the  estate  were 
ousted  by  rou<4h  squatters,  who  pitched  their  dwellings 
where  they  would,  and  by  the  time  Captain  Goodridge 
and  a  party  of  soldiers  had  driven  them  off  from  one 
part,  they  took  possession  of  another.  Then  came  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  which  was  a  death-blow 
to  the  loyal  side,  and  the  result  was  that  the  lands 
finally  went  for  a  song,  compared  with  the  value  they 
would  have  attained  had  all  gone  well,  and  the  hapless 
Packet  Commander's  dream  melted  away. 

Others  also  regarded  America  as  offering  new  life 
and  fortune  to  English  gentlemen  who  were,  or  had 
become,  landless  at  home.  Captain  Humphrey  Pellew 
(son  of  Captain  Pellew,  R.N.)  owned  a  tobacco  planta- 
tion of  2,000  acres  in  Maryland,  which  was  lost  on  the 
War  of  Independence.  On  a  part  of  this  estate 
Annapolis  now  stands,  showing  the  riches  that  might 
have  fallen  to  his  family.  A  large  portion  of  Flushing 
was  built  by  his  father,  who  died  in  172 1  ;  the  other 
part  of  it  had  been  already  erected  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Trefusis,  M.P.  for  Penryn  from  1698  to  1714.  Its 
name  was  due  to  some  Dutch  settlers. 

"  The  promontory  [of  Trefusis]  is  possessed  and 
inhabited  by  a  gentleman  of  that  name,  who  suitably  to 
his  name,  giveth  3  Fusils  for  his  coat." — Hals. 

The  family  of  Trefusis  lived  there,  it  is  stated, 
"from  time  immemorial." 

Mr.  Beckford,  who  was  at  Falmouth  in  1787,  visited 
Mr.  Trefusis  (afterwards  Lord  Clinton),  with  whom  he 
took  tea,  and  whose  "  furred  and  feathered "  pets  he 
was  shown,  as  well  as  a  harmless  sort  of  fight  between 
two  cocks  deprived  of  their  spurs.  A  pretty  description 
of  the  old  house  is  given,  long  vacant  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  last  century,  which  has,  however,  seen  a  new 
structure  built  on  the  spot. 

Captain  Kempthorne,  for  all  his  bravery,  had  a  tragic 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  123 

fate.  After  his  next  encounter  he  did  not  again  return 
"  safe  to  England."  In  1794  he  sailed  to  Halifax,  and 
ran  into  a  dense  fog.  When  it  cleared  he  found  himself 
surrounded  by  a  fleet  of  French  frigates,  against  which 
it  would  have  been  vain  to  fight.  He  had  the  heart- 
breaking necessity  to  strike  his  colours,  sink  the  mails 
he  had  always  so  gallantly  protected,  and  surrender 
himself  and  his  crew  as  prisoners.  He  never  came 
back.  In  a  few  days  he  fell  ill  and  died  of  a  fever,  his 
oft-repeated  determination  not  to  be  taken  alive  being 
in  a  measure  realised.  The  news  that  came  to  his  wife 
must  have  stunned  her,  so  confident  were  they  all  in  his 
courage  and  good  luck,  and  so  frequent  his  comings 
and  goings.  In  some  old  diaries  written  by  her  sister 
Frances  Falck  {nee  Goodridge),  and  which  had  many 
times  recorded  the  sailings  and  arrivals  of  the  Antelope, 
the  following  short  and  pathetic  entries  tell  the  tale  : 
1794,  Dec.  4,  "  Mr.  B.  Falck  sent  out  a  note  to  tell  us 
the  Antelope  was  taken.  Mr.  F.  [his  brother  Niels] 
went  to  Flushing,  found  the  dreadful  news  true,  and 
that  our  dear  brother  was  dead."  7th,  "  I  put  on 
mourning  for  Captain  K." 

The  Captain  was  a  great  favourite,  and  the  tribute 
to  his  memory  inscribed  on  the  old  tombstone  in  Mylor 
churchyard,  erected  over  the  remains  of  their  widowed 
mother  by  her  children,  breathes  their  deep  affection 
for  him.  Of  friends  he  had  many.  So  attached  were 
he  and  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  then  in  command  of  the 
fleet  in  Falmouth  harbour,  that  their  houses,  which 
adjoined,  had  a  doorway  cut  through  to  admit  of  greater 
freedom  in  friendly  chats,  and  the  eldest  son  William, 
as  courageous  as  his  father,  fought  under  the  good 
Admiral  with  such  spirit  and  gallantry  that  he  became 
a  well-known  Post-Captain.  There  is  a  tale  of  the 
young  fellow  having  been  despatched  from  the  seat  of 
war  in  Spain  with  the  news    of  the   great  victory  of 


124  Old  Falmouth. 

Trafalgar,  and  arriving  at  F'almouth,  such  had  been  his 
haste,  in  his  soiled  and  ragged  uniform  ;  and  then  of 
his  posting  to  London  with  fiags  and  laurel  branches 
hung  out  on  either  side  of  the  carriage  windows,  the 
people  cheering  as  he  sped  through  the  villages,  while 
without  waiting  to  change  his  dress  he  presented  him- 
self at  last,  dusty,  travel-stained,  and  torn,  before  the 
authorities  in  London  with  the  joyful  news.  No  doubt 
they  beheld  in  him  a  welcome  sight. 

To  this  day  the  watch  of  the  old  Packet  Commander, 
in  the  possession  of  a  great-nephew,  Mr.  J.  B.  Kemp- 
thorne  (of  Cury),  works  and  keeps  time,  although 
probably  a  century  and  a  quarter  old.  But  none  of  the 
Captain's  family  had  descendants,  and  that  particular 
branch  of  the  Kempthornes,  with  their  fighting  blood, 
died  out. 

The  writer  of  the  diaries  alluded  to,  Frances,  the 
second  daughter  of  Captain  Goodridge,  noted  down 
many  names  and  incidents  relating  to  Flushing  in  the 
old  days.  They  were,  unfortunately,  too  brief  to  form 
a  connected  history  interesting  beyond  the  family  circle, 
but  they  began  in  her  youth,  1778,  and  lasted  almost 
until  her  death,  when  she  could  write  no  more  ;  and 
one  can  just  guess  at  the  kind  of  life  going  on  there  at 
that  time.  It  seemed  informal  and  eminently  social. 
Often  there  was  "  a  large  company  to  tea  and  supper," 
and  there  are  records  of  Captain  Kempthorne  and 
others  singing  songs,  of  playing  cards,  as  well  as  more 
serious  matters — "an  excellent  sermon  by  Mr.  Temple," 
grandfather  of  the  present  Archbishop,  of  working 
upon  "shawns"  and  "  tippetts,"  of  "ruffles,"  "gauze 
caps,"  "  lappctts  and  calashes,"  mixed  up  with  going  to 
the  "assembly"  or  being  "escorted  to  the  Play,"  visits 
to  Cardynham  and  elsewhere,  and  reading  the  Spectator. 
One  day  they  seem  to  have  been  frightened  near  Mylor 
Bridge,  "at  a  man's  accosting  us,  whom  through  our 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  125 

means  was  press'd."  They  went  down  to  get  "  the  man 
releas'd,  but  did  not  succeed."  The  press-gang  held  on 
stoutly  to  able  fellows  at  that  time.  In  1779,  on 
January  21,  she  wrote  :  "  Heard  the  Weymouth  was 
taken,  and  Capt.  Buckingham  killed."  29th  :  "  Heard 
the  Active  had  sent  in  a  Prize,  which  was  confirm'd  in 
an  hour  by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Cotton,  who  sup't  with 
us."  The  Active  was  a  revenue  cutter  which  did  good 
service  in  chasing  suspicious  craft.  It  was  afterwards 
commanded  by  Mr.  John  Millar. 

In  1779  two  friends  came  in  and  "  drank  success  to 
the  Fleet  in  a  Sillabub "  ;  on  March  4th  she  wrote  : 
"  The  town  illuminated  upon  confirmation  of  Rodney's 
success  in  the  West  Indies"  ;  and  on  June  19th  :  "  We 
walked  round  the  town  to  see  the  illuminations  upon 
our  taking  Charles  Town."  On  August  27th  :  "  Went  to 
Church  in  the  afternoon,  heard  Mr.  Mills,  who  is  a 
charming  preacher,"  after  which  folks  looked  in  to 
dinner,  and  **  we  walk'd  a  large  company  to  see  the 
Fleet  in  the  harbour,  which  consisted  of  near  60  sail." 
The  "  fleet  of  60  sail  in  the  harbour,"  in  addition  to  the 
packets,  must  have  made  Falmouth  full  of  bustle,  and 
it  is  noted  that  in  1781  as  many  as  "five  Pacquets 
sail'd  "  on  the  same  day. 

Many  familiar  Cornish  names  are  mentioned  at 
this  time  in  the  old  faded  pages— the  Penroses,  Jack 
Trevenen  *  and  his  sister  Bett  and  others,  and  also  the 
Norways,  Nankivels,  Milletts,  Braithwaites,  Wauchopes, 
Todds,  Dillons,  etc.,  the  latter  (except  the  Pellews)  all 
families  of  the  Packet  Commanders,  and  many  besides, 
which  have  faded  out  of  recognition  or  recollection. 

It  did  not  seem  easy  to  get  about.  There  was  a 
''chaise"    at    Falmouth,    and    one   at    Flushing,    and 

*  Captain  James  Trevenen,  who  was  born  at  Rosewarne  in  1760, 
accompanied  Captain  Cook  on  his  last  voyage  round  the  world  in  1776. 
His  sister  Elizabeth  (Bett)  was  Frances  Goodridge's  early  friend,  afterwards 
wife  of  Admiral  Sir  Charles  Penrose. 


126  Old  Falmouth. 

horses  and  donkeys.  Unaccustomed  women-folk  rode 
on  a  pillion,  as  quaintly  referred  to  in  the  same  year  in 
October  on  the  occasion  of  Frances  Goodridge's  return 
from  paying  a  visit,  "  Packed  up  my  clothes,  set  off  on 
a  single  horse,  Jemima  behind  the  servant.  Not  able 
to  proceed  upon  the  Poney,  luckily  procur'd  a  good 
double  horse,"  which  was  evidently  another  pillion. 
Miss  Goodridge  certainly  arrived  in  safety,  as  the  next 
day  she  "  dress'd  and  went  to  meet  Bett  (Kempthorne) 
and  dear  little  William" — destined  to  fight  gallantly  for 
his  country — "grown  out  of  knowledge."  In  that  year 
the  fire  is  mentioned  which  burnt  a  row  of  houses  in 
Church  Street,  etc.  (p.  90),  and  which  occasioned 
much  distress.  Ten  or  eleven  years  later  a  similar 
catastrophe  occurred,  in  which  forty-two  houses  were 
destroyed. 

One  of  the  most  curious  things  seems  to  have  been 
the  doctoring  of  that  period,  strictly  in  accordance,  be 
it  noted,  with  the  science  of  the  day.  Captain  Goodridge 
fell  ill,  and  the  remedies  prescribed  are  related.  He  had 
a  "strengthening  plaister  to  the  Stomach,"  then  "rhubarb 
draughts,"  and  when  he  got  worse,  was  "  prevail'd  on  to 
try  an  airing  in  a  chaise" — this  in  December, — and  had 
an  emetic  on  his  return.  It  was  not  surprising  the  poor 
Captain  died  three  days  later,  and  two  days  after  his 
death  his  funeral  took  place  at  Mylor  with  a  haste,  quite 
usual,  which  is  all  too  eloquent  of  the  recklessness  of 
our  forefathers.  Frances  Goodridge  herself  underwent 
similar  Spartan  remedies,  going  through  a  course  of 
bark  in  powders,  bark  draughts,  blood-letting,  emetics, 
black  draughts,  pills  and  bottles  of  "  decoction,"  after 
which  she  recorded,  with  little  wonder  :  "  My  com- 
plaints rather  worse,"  and  "very  bad  indeed." 

The  young  people  of  those  days  seemed  to  go  about 
a  good  deal,  but  they  were  expected  to  be  industrious. 
There    were    no    golf-links,     nor    tennis-courts,    nor 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  127 

bicycles.  Stockings  were  knit,  and  clothes  made 
and  mended,  and  ruffles  starched,  and  when  the 
candles  were  lit  on  the  spindle-legged  tables,  came 
readings  from  the  Spectator  or  Taller,  when  nobody 
dropped  in  for  cards.  Later,  Hannah  More  was 
studied,  and  epistles  were  written  formed  on  her  style 
on  great  square  sheets  of  paper  sealed  with  big  red 
seals.  The  children  of  this  period  were  taught 
*'  manners "  betimes.  It  was  expected  that  they 
should  make  pretty  curtseys  on  entering  the  parlour- 
door,  and  address  their  parents  as  "  Sir  "  or  "  Ma'am," 
and  only  speak  at  table  when  they  were  "  spoken  to." 
What  this  ideal  of  child-life  was  in  the  minds  of  the 
"grown-ups"  may  be  seen  from  studying  the  children's 
books  of  the  period,  wherever  such  may  remam,  wherein 
are  many  things  set  forth  concerning  good  and  bad  boys 
and  girls  and  what  befel  them.  There  was  The  History 
of  Primrose  Prettyface,  and  Goody  Two-Shoes,  and  all  up 
and  down  the  pages  there  is  the  most  excellent  advice 
possible  for  the  youthful  mind,  showing  that  birch-rods, 
the  corner,  dunce's  caps,  and  even  the  drastic  remedy  of 
sousing  in  a  water-barrel,  were  likely  to  befall  such  as 
failed  to  walk  in  the  paths  of  rectitude.  Illustrated  with 
Ihe  quaintest  cuts,  and  taking  life  very  seriously  indeed, 
they  show  what  was  expected  of  the  young  people  of 
those  days — days  that  would  quite  astonish  these  ! 

Curtseying,  indeed,  was  in  vogue  with  "  simple  and 
gentle."  The  maid  dipped  as  she  opened  the  front-door 
to  a  visitor,  and  so  did  the  charity  school  children  in 
the  lane  on  descrying  the  hoop-skirt  and  feathered 
bonnet  of  quality,  and  as  a  hostess  entered  her 
drawing-room  she  too  gave  a  curtsey  a-la-mode  before 
advancing  to  the  familiar  hand-shake  with  her  guests. 

Can  we  believe  that  anyone  became  uproarious  with 
a  bottle  of  port  or  went  under  the  mahogany  with  all 
this  light  in  good  manners  ?     Yet,  alas  !  this  sometimes 


128  Old  Falmouth. 

happened  to  the  "  daddy "  of  the  household,  while 
Madam  wore  rou<»e  and  patches,  and  great  bell-hoops 
to  spread  out  her  gown  of  all  colours,  like  a  peacock. 
And  young  Miss  sometimes  climbed  up  a  ladder  to 
confer  with  a  beau  the  other  side  of  the  garden  wall, 
and  even  had  visions  of  going  off  in  a  coach-and-four 
to  wed  the  young  rascal  !  It  was  not  all  curtseys,  and 
candles,  and  the  Spectator,  be  sure. 

Days  of  the  old  coaches  and  packets  1 — how  simple, 
and  yet  how  full  of  human  nature— just  as  it  is  now — 
they  were.  Some  things  we  may  smile  over,  but  a 
great  many  more  we  know  all  about,  and  why  wigs 
were  curled  and  fans  were  fluttered,  just  as  "  button- 
holes" are  sported  and  costumes  and  "confections" 
are  studied  in  ours.  Beneath  the  formalities  beat  the 
human  heart. 

To  return  from  our  reverie.  Frances  Goodridge 
sometimes  referred  to  her  future  husband,  who  showed 
himself  a  true  squire  of  dames  when  there  was  "  a  riot 
in  the  Evening  with  some  men-of-wars'  men.  Captain 
Kempthorne  and  Mr.  Falck  in  it,  who  drubbed  the  men 
who  insulted  us."  The  young  ladies,  who  had  been 
sadly  fluttered,  on  being  asked  if  they  would  have  the 
men  punished,  magnanimously  said  no. 

Finally,  in  1784  she  married  the  Mr.  Falck  in  ques- 
tion, elder  son  of  Barnet  Nielson  Falck,  of  Denmark, 
who  had  settled  in  Falmouth  in  the  'forties  of  that 
century,  owing  to  his  appointment  as  Danish  Consul- 
General  for  the  South  and  West  of  England.*     Young 

*It  was  his  coach  which  attracted  such  attention  at  Mevagissey,  the 
I  people  calling  to  each  other  to  "come  and  see  the  house  upon  wheels."  In 
1766  he  applied  "  for  a  plott  of  waste  ground  in  ye  Hill  near  the  Rope- walk 
for  building  a  Chaise-house."  I  have  road  that  the  first  carriage  brought 
into  Cornwall  belonged  to  Sir  Christopher  Hocking,  a  vehicle  which  re- 
mained in  existence  as  late  as  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
having  for  some  reason  been  preserved.  In  Falmouth  there  seem  to  have 
been  one  or  two  "chaises"  aV)Out  1770  and  later,  including  one  owned  by 
Mr.  G.  C.  Fox,  and  I  believe  there  was  one  at  Flushing.  My  mother  re- 
membered as  a  child  Niels  Falck's  coachman,  then  an  aged  man. 


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Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  129 

Falck  promised  and  hoped  all  manner  of  good  things, 
and  took  her  soon  after  her  marriage  to  the  block  of 
old-fashioned  red-brick  houses  which  he  had  recently 
built  at  the  end  of  Arwenack  Street,  drove  her  out  in  the 
"chaise,"  and  was  ready  to  lay  the  world  at  her  feet. 
But  alas  !  for  all  those  dreams,  the  ship  he  owned,  called 
Fanny,  and  many  another,  were  lost  at  sea,  his  late 
father's  appointment  was  conferred  on  someone  in 
London,  and  he  remained  only  Consul  for  the  port  and 
district.  His  health  failed,  money  melted  away,  as  much 
as  ;^i6,ooo  being  lost  in  a  single  fortnight,  the  houses 
in  1790  were  sold,  first  to  Mr.  Richard  Bluett,  and  then 
to  the  firm  of  Mr.  G.  C.  Fox,  the  horses  to  some  friends 
in  a  country  place,  and  poor  Niels  Falck  died  shortly 
after  at  Crill,  a  favourite  little  farm,  which  was  all  that 
remained  to  him.  The  son  who  bore  his  name  had  an 
equally  hapless  fate,  as  a  young  officer  in  the  First 
Royals,— shot  at  Salamanca,  in  the  Peninsular  War. 
"  Sweet "  it  may  be  "  to  die  for  the  country,"  but  not 
so  thought  his  widowed  mother,  whose  pathetic  refer- 
ences to  the  event,  brief  as  they  were,  are  sad  to  read 
even  now.  We  need  not  pursue  the  history  of  Mrs. 
Falck  further.  She  has  given  us  little  glimpses  of  life 
in  the  old  days,  and  how  she  worked  and  planned,  and 
sorrowed  and  braved  the  storms  of  life  with  her  one 
remaining  son,f  who  sacrificed  his  prospects  in  order 
to  remain  with  her,  and  farmed  the  land  with  what 
energy  he  could, — may  be  left  for  more  private  pages. 

I  may,  however,  give  her  brief  notes  of  a  journey 
they  made  to  London  in  1794,  the  year  of  her  husband's 
death,  as  an  illustration  of  the  toil  involved  in  a  visit  to 
the  metropolis,  as  well  as  of  the  line  of  route. 

tjohn  Goodridge  Falck.  A  farm — the  property  of  the  Kempthorne 
family — was  also  left  him  for  life  in  the  St.  Keverne  district,  which  brought 
in  a  good  rent  in  those  days .  The  Patriotic  Fund  granted  Mrs.  Falck  the 
sum  of  £100,  and  her  pension  is  referred  to  in  the  Appendix. 

10 


130  Ohl  Fnliiiotitli. 

Aii.^ust  2cSth.  "Set  off  for  London.  Din'd  :it  St. 
Austell.     Dnuik  tea  at  Lostwitiiiel.     Slept  at  Liskeard." 

29th.  "  Cali'd  at  Catchfrench.  Din'd  at  Plymouth. 
Drank  tea  at  Ivybridi^e.     Slept  at  Ashburton." 

30th.  "Slept  at  Chudlei^'h.  Reach'd  Exeter  by 
one.  Din'd  at  Cullompton,  chan^'d  horses  at  Wel- 
lington and  Taunton.  Reached  Bridgwater  where  we 
slept." 

31st.  "  Breakfasted  at  B.  Chang'd  at  Glastonbury. 
Rode  through  Wells,  din'd  at  Old  Downs(?)  Inn. 
Chang'd  at  Chippenham  and  reach'd  Marlborough  to 
supper,  when  we  slept.     Drank  tea  at  Bath." 

Sept.  ist.  Breakfasted  at  Speenhill.  Din'd  at 
Maidenhead  Bridge.  Chang'd  horses  at  Hounslow, 
got  to  London  at  Ten." 

2nd.  "  Very  much  fatigu'd.  Lay  abed  best  part  of 
the  day." 

No  wonder  !  A  week's  jolting  on  the  high  roads 
was  enough  to  land  anyone  in  bed  at  the  close.  Before 
leaving  the  metropolis  they  bought  a  "whiskey,"  which 
it  seemed  was  some  sort  of  open  gig.  Someone  later 
on  was  upset  out  of  this  concern  in  a  Cornish  lane,  and 
the  record  is  so  worded  that  one  fancies  the  poor  lady  had 
taken  a  little  too  much  grog.  But  no  I  it  was  only  the 
harmless  vehicle  of  the  period.  The  diary  for  this  year 
closed  with  the  account  already  quoted  of  the  capture 
of  the  Antelope,  and  the  death  of  "  Captain  K.,"  so  often 
mentioned  by  the  writer,  the  "  dear  brother  "  who  came 
no  more  from  distant  lands  in  his  "  Pacquet"  to  Flush- 
ing, nor  ever  sailed  again  out  of  the  blue  waters  of 
Falmouth  Harbour. 

Captain  John  Arthur  Norway,  R.N.,  was  one  of 
those  who  paid  with  his  life  for  defending  the  mails. 
He  was  killed  in  action  with  a  privateer,  while  in  com- 
mand of  H.M.  Packet  Montague,  on  the  Falmouth 
station.      He   was   born    at   Lostwithiel   in    1771,   and 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  131 

served  with  distinction  in  the  Navy,  having  been 
wounded  on  board  La  Nymphe  in  1793,  while  a  Heutenant 
with  Sir  Edward  Pellew.  The  portrait  is  from  a  minia- 
ture by  Roch,  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  W.  Jago,  of 
Bodmin. 

Perhaps  James  Silk  Buckingham — traveller,  re- 
former, author,  politician,  and  member  of  Parliament 
— who  was  born  in  Flushing  in  1786,  gave  in  his 
Autobiography  the  most  vivid  description  of  the 
place  in  his  early  days,  of  the  squadrons  of  frigates 
stationed  in  the  harbour,  the  prizes  brought  in, 
the  men-of-war's  boats  flying  over  the  water,  and  the 
gay  appearance  which  the  village  made,  "  sparkling  with 
gold  epaulets,  gold  lace  hats,  and  brilliant  uniforms." 

The  fleet  of  packets  he  states  to  have  numbered 
from  thirty  to  forty  full-rigged  three-masted  ships  of 
elegant  model,  carrying  the  royal  pennant,  the  officers 
of  which  wore  handsome  uniforms,  cocked  hats,  epau- 
lets, and  swords,  while  the  crews  were  picked  men.  He 
relates  how  when  the  "tinners"  (miners)  had  come 
over  in  a  body  three  or  four  hundred  strong,  determined 
to  pursue  their  warfare  for  bread  by  force.  Captain 
Kempthorne  carried  the  day  by  a  hymn  in  which  all 
joined,  and  brought  things  to  a  peaceful  issue  ;  how  Sir 
Edward  Pellew  used  to  take  him,  young  Buckingham, 
as  a  lad,  on  board  the  Indefatigable ;  how  he  went  to 
sea  in  Captain  Dillon's  packet,  the  Lady  Harriett,  which 
was  overhauled  by  a  French  corvette  with  thirty  guns, 
when  they  were  all  taken  prisoners  ;  how  he  deserted 
from  the  navy  owing  to  the  cruelties  then  practised, 
and  was  nearly  articled  to  Mr.  Tippet,  the  Falmouth 
lawyer,  and  how  at  last  he  carried  out  his  darling  wish 
and  sped  off  to  sea  again. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  the  publishers,  these  rela- 
tions were  given  at  length  in  a  pamphlet  I  printed  in 
1895,    entitled   Falmouth  and  Flushing  100  years   ago, 


132  Old  Fnlinoiitli. 

which  contained  many  quotations  from  the  volume  in 
question. 

Many  distin^^uished  naval  officers  commanded  squad- 
rons in  the  harbour,  and  on  one  occasion  Nelson  visited 
the  place.  There  were  the  Pellews,  native-born,  sons 
of  Mr.  Samuel  Pellew,  of  F'lushing, — one  subsequently 
the  well-known  Lord  Exmouth,*  and  the  other  also  an 
admiral  and  K.C.B.,  who  commanded  the  Conqueror  at 
the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  and  was  born  at  Flushing  in 
1 76 1.  For  nearly  fifty  years  their  eldest  brother, 
Samuel  Humphry  Pellew,  born  in  1754,  was  Collector 
of  the  Customs  at  Falmouth,  and  a  familiar  figure  in 
the  town.  He  lived  at  Woodlane  House,  and,  I  believe, 
built  it,  after  which  it  was  let  to  Mr.  John  Freeman  of 
the  Granite  Works.  The  "  old  wooden  tubs,"  as  they 
are  so  irreverently  dubbed,  without  doubt  saw  some 
vigorous  fighting. 

Not  the  least  singular  of  the  events  connected  with 
the  Packet  history  were  the  mistaken  combats,  in  which 
the  vessels  were  attacked  by  English  gun-brigs.  This 
occurred  in  the  case  of  the  Marlborough  (Captain  Bull), 
engaged  by  the  Primrose  (Captain  Philpott,  R.N.),  and 
the  Princess  Elizabeth  (Captain  Kirkness),  by  the  Harle- 
quin (Captain  Kempthorne,  K.N.). 

Among  those  who  sailed  in  a  Falmouth  Packet  was 
Lord  Byron,  in  1809.  He  was  detained  in  the  town 
more  than  a  week,  lodging — so  it  has  been  stated — in 
rooms  in  a  house  in  Church  Street.  He  sailed  on  July 
2nd  in  (probably)  the  Sicallon',  commanded  by  Captain 

*Lord  Exmouth  was  the  first  President  of  the  Royal  Institution  of 
Cornwall,  from  l8i8  to  1830.  As  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  he  commanded  the 
Western  Squadron.  It  was  after  his  gallant  action  with  the  Clcopatre 
in  1793  that  he  came  into  Falmouth  harbour  in  the  Nymphe.  His 
brother,  Captain  Israel  Pellew,  and  eighty  stout  Cornish  men  were  on  the 
victorious  frigate,  and  enthusiastic  was  the  welcome  which  greeted  Sir 
Edward  as  he  stepped  ashore.  His  good  luck  in  capturing  a  Spanish 
frigate  made  the  good  admiral,  somewhere  about  this  period,  a  rich  man. 


LORD    EXMOUTH. 
Reproduced  by  permission  of  the  Lords  Commibsioiicrs  of  the  Admiralty. 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  133 

Kidd.  The  letter  that  he  wrote  about  Falmouth  is  too 
flippant  for  serious  description,  but  very  characteristic. 
Among  other  things  he  observed  that  *'S/.  Maws  is 
garrisoned  by  an  able-bodied  person  of  four-score,  a 
widower,"  who  "has  the  whole  command  and  sole 
management  of  six  most  unmanageable  pieces  of  ord- 
nance." He  alludes  to  an  immense  deal  of  racket  and 
bustle,  but  during  the  voyage  to  Lisbon  he  evidently 
had  many  chats  with  Captain  Kidd,  who  told  him  a 
strange  story — one  which  he  sometimes  related  to 
others.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  while  lying  in  his 
berth  one  night,  the  Captain  was  awakened  by  the  sen- 
sible presence  of  his  brother  dressed  in  his  naval 
uniform,  and  that  on  touching  the  latter  he  found  it  to 
be  wet.  The  vision  lasted  for  some  time,  but  vanished, 
when,  somewhat  alarmed,  he  called  to  a  brother  officer. 
A  few  months  afterwards  he  received  the  intelligence 
that  his  brother  had  been  drowned  that  night  in  the 
Indian  seas. 

Many  of  the  brave  deeds  were  commemorated  at  the 
time,  with  presentations  of  swords  of  honour,  or  pieces 
of  plate.  Through  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  Dyneley,  widow 
of  General  Dyneley,  who  was  a  nephew  of  Captain  Birt 
Dyneley,  killed  in  action  in  1806,  I  am  able  to  give  a 
print  of  the  fine  piece  of  plate  presented  to  the  Captain 
for  his  remarkable  services  related  in  the  Appendix. 

The  well-known  Windsor  Castle  Packet  action  with 
Le  Jettnc  Richard,  a  French  privateer,  took  place  in 
1807,  during  the  command  of  Captain  William  Rogers, 
who  boarded  the  privateer  with  only  five  of  his  men 
and  captured  her.  For  this  courageous  deed — which 
has  been  painted  and  engraved — Captain  Rogers  was 
presented  with  a  sword,  inscribed  on  the  blade,  now  in 
the  collection  of  Mr.  W.  Cecil  Wade,  of  Plymouth, 
who  had  it  photographed.     (See  Appendix.) 

It  is  impossible  now  to  recover  any  other  personal 


134  <^/''  Faliiioittli. 

recollections  connected  with  this  older  service.  Relics 
have  disappeared,  records  are  destroyed,  families  scat- 
tered, and  interest  has  been  lost.  In  the  later  service 
the  link  with  the  present  is  closer.  At  the  recent 
iinveilin<^  of  the  Packet  Memorial  in  Falmouth,  a  few 
old  packetsmen  mustered,  with  their  medals,  who  could 
remember  "Cap'n  This  or  That,"  and  things  that 
happened  on  the  voyages.  And  some  arc  still  living 
who  can  recall  stories  related  by  their  fathers  or  grand- 
fathers with  many  details.  Two  of  the  old  veterans 
were  photographed,  Richard  Michels,  aged  eighty,  and 
James  Collins,  aged  eighty-one,  both  of  whom,  after 
leaving  the  Packet  Service,  served  in  the  Crimean  war. 
They  are  naturally  men  of  reminiscences  and  hale 
fellows  still. 

Miss  Granville,  whose  memory  also  takes  her  far 
back,  since  she  was  born  at  Mylor  over  eighty  years 
ago,  has  stated  that  her  father  was  one  of  those  who 
made  a  gallant  defence  on  the  Prince  Ernest,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  beating  off  a  French  privateer.  She  also 
remembers  no  less  than  eight  newly-built  packets  which 
were  despatched  from  Falmouth  with  mails,  one  of 
which,  the  Cynlliia,  returned,  while  the  others  were 
never  heard  of  again.  Some  of  these  may  have  been 
already  mentioned.  Their  loss  was  due  to  their  un- 
seaworthy  construction. 

Captain  Kirkness,  before  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  performed  a  deed  which  attracted  great  attention 
in  the  town.  The  captain  of  a  West  India- 
man  having  died  on  the  homeward  voyage,  he  took 
command  and  was  attacked  by  a  PVench  privateer  of 
superior  force.  It  was  a  case  in  which  his  ready  wit 
saved  the  ship.  He  requested  the  purser  to  personate 
him,  surrender  his  sword,  and  offer  refreshments  to  his 
captors.  Very  soon  they  were  not  only  safely  down  in 
the  saloon,  but  under  the  mahogany,  when  he  imme- 


CSPTiOk    I.    ±.    SiC'STWiT    2JK. 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  135 

diately  ordered  the  hatches  to  be  closed  down,  and 
made  all  sail  into  Falmouth  with  the  privateer  as  a 
prize  and  his  would-be  captors  as  prisoners.  For  this 
he  was  given  a  permanent  command  in  the  Packet 
Service,  in  which  he  remained  to  the  end  of  his  career, 
while  Falmouth  made  great  rejoicing  over  the  clever 
exploit  which  had  turned  the  tables  upon  the  enemy. 

Such  a  marked  beginning  was  sure  to  be  followed 
by  more  bravery.  Captain  Kirkness  afterwards  distin- 
guished himself  at  Georgetown,  Demerara,  by  running 
his  Packet,  the  Queen  Charlotte,  against  heavily-armed 
privateers,  which  were  preparing  to  swoop  down  on 
some  defenceless  merchant  vessels.  It  was  an  act  of 
great  courage — as  one  alone  of  these  privateers  could 
have  overwhelmed  the  Packet — and  it  met  with  the 
good  fortune  it  deserved,  since  the  enemy,  as  usual, 
sheered  off.  He  lived  for  many  years  at  Kernick,  near 
Penryn,  and  died  in  1851,  at  the  age  of  69. 

The  late  Professor  Shuttleworth's  maternal  grand- 
father, Captain  Carey,  commanded  the  Lady  Mary 
Pelham,  a  Falmouth  Packet.  Before  this  he  had  been 
in  the  Victory,  serving  under  Nelson. 

One  of  the  commanders  in  the  Admiralty  Service 
deserves  special  mention.  Captain  William  P.  Green, 
R.N.,  appointed  to  the  Frolic  in  1829.  He  was  sub- 
lieutenant on  board  H.M.S.  Conqueror  at  the  battle  of 
Trafalgar,  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
for  his  gallantry.  During  the  action  he  made  some 
minutes  relating  to  it,  in  which  he  recorded  how  Nelson 
led  one  column,  and  Collingwood  the  other,  and  that 
at  a  quarter  past  twelve  after  noon,  the  Victory  made 
the  famous  telegraph  signal  "  England  expects  every 
man  to  do  his  duty,"  commencing  action  half  an  hour 
later.  Captain  Green  was  a  scientific  man,  a  Professor 
of  Natural  Philosophy,  the  inventor  of  more  than 
twenty-one   improvements   in    Naval    vessels,  and  the 


136  Old  Fahnouth. 

author  of  several  works,  one  of  which  was  on  ^'Pre- 
cautious to  avoid  Accidents  by  Li<^htuiug,"  pubHslied  in 
1837.  He  made  electricity  a  life-study,  and  proved  the 
danger  resulting  from  an  order  given  by  the  Admiralty 
in  1838  to  fit  vessels  with  lightning  conductors,  for 
which  he  received  their  thanks.  The  Society  of  Arts 
also  presented  him  with  a  medal.  He  navigated  the 
Sheldrake  (another  Packet),  under  circumstances  when 
all  gave  her  up  for  lost.  His  son,  P'leet- Paymaster  John 
\V.  Green,  R.X.,  gives  a  graphic  account  of  it.  "  I 
remember,"  he  says,  "  seeing  two  women  come  to  our 
house  in  Brook  Street,  Falmouth,  crying,  and  telling 
my  dear  mother  that  their  allotments  had  been  stopped 
by  the  Admiralty,  as  the  Sheldrake  was  lost.  She  was  a 
month  overdue.  My  mother  said  to  them,  '  My  good 
women,  you  don'i  see  me  cry,  do  you  ?  '  '  No,  my 
lady,'  was  the  reply.  She  then  said, '  Don't  you  think  my 
husband  is  as  dear  to  me  as  yours  are  to  you  ? '  This 
they  readily  admitted,  on  which  she  told  them  that  as 
long  as  a  plank  of  the  vessel  held  together.  Captain 
Green  would  bring  her  home.  *  So  don't  cry,'  she 
added,  *  any  more  until  you  see  me  do  so  ! '  The 
women  left,  greatly  encouraged,  and  a  few  days  later 
the  inhabitants  of  Falmouth  were  astonished  and 
delighted  to  see  the  Sheldrake  arrive  in  safety." 

This  was  due  to  the  improvements  Captain  Green 
had  carried  out,  which  enabled  her  to  weather  the 
fearful  gales  they  had  encountered.  But  the  exposure 
he  underwent  in  this  voyage  cost  him  his  life,  as  he 
contracted  an  illness  from  which  he  never  properly 
recovered,  and  died  a  few  years  later. 

Lieutenant  James  Hosken,  R.X.,  born  in  1798  (after- 
wards Admiral  Hosken),  commanded  the  Priucess  Eliza- 
beth Packet  in  1832.  He  served  in  the  Crimean  war,  and 
was  connected  with  some  interesting  experiments  in 
Atlantic    steam     navigation,    having    commanded    the 


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Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Sendee.  137 

Pioneer  steamer  Great  Western,  crossing  from  Bristol  to 
New  York.  His  father,  James  Hosken  (born  in  1757), 
was  in  the  Packet  Service  and  the  Navy,  and  was  in 
action  with  Rodney  and  Lord  Howe,  and  distinguished 
himself  by  exceptional  bravery.  He  laid  the  foundation- 
stone  of  Plymouth  Breakwater,  and  died  at  Penryn, 
after  forty-five  years  active  service,  in  1848,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-one  years. 

The  portrait  of  Captain  Augustus  R.  L.  Passingham, 
R.N.,  appointed  in  1824  by  the  Admiralty,  gives  some 
idea  of  the  old  uniform,  which  varied  from  time  to  time. 

Many  celebrated  people  came  to  Falmouth  to  go 
abroad  in  the  Packets,  which  took  passengers,  but  the 
fares  were  only  suited  to  long  purses.  It  cost  £2^)  to 
go  to  Lisbon,  ;^38  to  reach  Gibraltar,  while  £'^i\  and 
;^io7  had  to  be  paid  to  sail  respectively  to  New  York 
and  Brazils.    Most  people  naturally  remained  at  home  ! 

Among  those  who  sought  more  genial  climates 
by  way  of  Falmouth  was  Mrs.  Yorke,  daughter  of  Sir 
John  Glynne  of  Hawarden,  who,  it  is  stated  on  the 
monument  in  the  Parish  church,  died  on  her  return  from 
Lisbon  on  board  the  Hambden  Packet  Boat  in  1766. 

The  scares  about  the  landing  of  the  French  created 
continual  excitement  at  Falmouth,  but  the  day  came 
when  the  dreaded  Napoleon  at  last  appeared  in  person 
in  1815,  not  however  at  the  head  of  a  French  fleet  but 
as  a  prisoner  on  board  H.M.S.  Northumberland,  which 
put  into  Falmouth.  After  this  French  invasion  was 
no  longer  dreaded. 

There  was  always  plenty  of  bustle  in  the  place, 
in  these  days. 

I  quote  again  passages  from  Espriella's  Letters, 
eloquent  of  his  Falmouth  experiences. 

"  We  past  in  sight  of  St.  Maurs,  a  little  fishing  town 
on  the  east  of  the  bay,  and  anchored  about  noon 
at  Falmouth.     There  is  a  man  always  on  the  look-out 


138  Old  halmciUh. 

for  the  packets  ;  he  makes  a  signal  as  soon  as  one 
is  seen,  and  every  woman  who  has  a  husband  on  board 
j^ives  him  a  shilHng  for  the  inteMij^ence.''  .  .  .  He 
adds:  "The  perpetual  stir  and  bustle  of  this  inn  is 
as  surprising  as  it  is  wearisome.  Doors  opening  and 
shutting,  bells  ringing,  voices  calling  to  the  waiter  from 
every  quarter,  while  he  cries  'coming'  to  one  room, 
and  hurries  away  to  another.  Everybody  is  in  a  hurry 
here  ;  either  they  are  going  off  in  the  Packets,  and  are 
hastening  their  preparations  to  embark,  or  they  have 
just  arrived,  and  are  impatient  to  be  on  the  route 
homeward.  Every  now  and  then  a  carriage  rattles  up 
to  the  door  with  a  rapidity  which  makes  the  very  house 
shake.  The  man  who  cleans  the  boots  is  running 
in  one  direction,  the  barber  with  his  powder-bag  in 
another  ;  here  goes  the  barber's  boy  with  his  hot  water 
and  razors ;  there  comes  the  clean  linen  from  the 
washer-woman  ;  and  the  hall  is  full  of  porters  and 
sailors,  bringing  in  luggage  or  bearing  it  away  ; — ^now 
you  hear  a  horn  blown  because  the  post  is  coming  in, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  night  you  are  awakened  by 
another  because  it  is  going  out." 

Travelling,  however,  was  not  very  methodical. 
Some  parties  arrived  for  a  Packet  in  1791  by  coach  ; 
the  maid  came  with  the  baggage  in  the  Exeter  waggon, 
while  the  man-servant  was  not  in  time  and  had  to  sail 
by  another  Packet. 

Yet  those  were  the  romantic  days  of  the  mails, 
before  prosaic  tugs  and  tenders  were  in  use  on  arrival 
and  despatch.  It  must  have  been  a  pretty  sight  to  see 
the  eight-oared  boat  with  the  oars  flashing  as  they 
dipped  in  the  water,  crossing  the  harbour  from  the  gun- 
brig,  and  the  naval  lieutenant  in  command  as  he  came 
ashore  formally  delivering  his  charge  over  to  the 
expectant  agent,  saying  as  he  did  so  in  a  set  speech,  "  1 
have  brought  His  Majesty's  mails  and  deliver  them  to 


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Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  139 

you,  sir," — and  later  on  the  "  Royal  Mail  Coach," 
bearing  the  Royal  arms,  with  its  fine  team  and  scarlet- 
uniformed  coachman  and  guard.  Great  was  the  bustle 
and  the  utmost  despatch  was  used  to  send  on  the 
precious  freight  to  its  destination.  Soon  it  will  be 
seventy  years  since  the  boom  of  the  arriving  mail  gun 
roused  the  inhabitants  of  Falmouth,  or  the  sound  of  the 
horn  was  heard  in  Arwenack  street  ! 

Of  the  Packet  Agents  at  Falmouth,  Daniel  Gwyn 
was  the  first,  appointed  in  1689,  and  Francis  Jones, 
1699,  the  second,  followed  by  Captain  Zachary  Rogers, 
in  1705.  There  were  twelve  in  all,  two  or  three  of  them 
being  old  Falmouthians.  Mr.  Thomas  Moore  Musgrave 
was,  true  to  his  name,  a  bit  of  a  poet  and  translated  the 
Lusiad  of  Camoens.  But  the  one  whose  career  possibly 
attracted  most  attention  was  Mr.  Saverland,  *  who  was 
confronted  by  the  mutiny  of  the  Packetsmen  already  re- 
ferred to,  a  very  serious  matter.  It  was  in  the  year  1810, 
and  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  men  were  dissatisfied 
with  their  rate  of  wages,  and  the  prohibitions  regarding 
the  time-honoured  though  hardly  loyal  practice  of  carry- 
ing goods  on  commission.  The  Custom-house  officers 
investigated  the  sailor's  chests  all  too  roughly  and  open 
rebellion  ensued.  Falmouth  generally,  including  the 
magisterial  bench,  was  in  sympathy  with  the  men,  but 
the  officials  and  Mr.  Saverland,  whohad  much  anxiety  and 
trouble,  took  another  view.  For  a  year  the  Packets  were 
directed  to  sail  from  Plymouth,  and  although  the  order 
was  rescinded  at  the  end  of  it,  the  town  lost  by  the  fact 
that  the  idea  had  been  started  at  last  that  the  mails 
might  more  conveniently  sail  from  elsewhere.  It  was 
in  a  sense  the  beginning  of  the  end. 

The  last  Agent  was  my  grandfather,  William  Gay. 
In  his  time  the  bulk  of  the  mails  had  greatly  increased 

*The  estimation  in  which  Mr.  Saverland's  administration  was  held  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  a  tablet  was  erected  to  his  memory  in  the  Parish 
Church  by  the  commanders  in  the  Packet  Service. 


140  Old  Falmouth. 

and  were  bi<.)Ught  ashore  in  boats  from  the  vessels  the 
moment  each  arrived,  to  the  Packet  office  near  the 
Custom-house  quay,  a  plain  but  substantial  building 
now  altered  into  a  shop.  Day  or  night  the  signal-gun 
of  an  arriving  Packet  might  be  fired,  and  the  officials 
had  to  be  at  once  on  duty.  When  the  loaded  coaches, 
piled  up  at  times  to  twice  their  height  and  drawn 
by  from  lOur  to  six  horses,  turned  the  corner  of 
Arwenack  Street,  my  grandfather  used  to  exclaim, 
"  Thank  God  ! — all  this  is  safely  off  my  hands."  It  was 
responsible  work,  since  Falmouth  received  and  des- 
patched four  times  as  many  Packets  as  any  other  of  the 
stations.  In  fact  Naval  agents  were  also  appointed 
during  the  Admiralty  administration,  since  there  was 
much  with  regard  to  the  Packet  Service  which  required 
their  supervision.  Captain  William  King,  R.N.,  of  the 
guard-ship  Asti'ca,  which  supplied  the  Packets  with 
provisions  and  stores,  and  who  superintended  repairs, 
was  probably  the  best  known  of  these.  The  Astrca's 
gun,  fired  every  evening  at  eight  o'clock,  gave  the  time  to 
the  port.  Portraits  of  the  captain  attired  in  naval 
uniform  can  still  be  seen  hanging  on  the  walls  of  the 
Falmouth  homes  of  his  descendants,  the  Bullmores, 
Dr.  William  King  Bullmore,  in  particular,  possessing 
several  portraits  of  the  King  family. 

The  late  Dr.  Guppy,  whose  brother-in-law,  the 
Rev.  Robert  Picton,  was  chaplain  to  H.M.S.  Russell 
was  the  last  surgeon  to  the  Packets. 

My  grandfather  retired  about  1842  ;  for  after  1841 
the  West  Indian  and  Mexican  mails  went  by  the  Royal 
West  India  Mail  Company's  steamers,  and  the  Cunard 
Line  contracted  to  convey  the  North  American  mails 
from  Liverpool  to  New  York.*      He  died  a  few  years 

•  Mr.  Rowe  remembers  when  the  Camden  was  paid  off,  and  how  her 
pennant  was  hauled  down,  and  the  sailors  regretfully  dispersed.  One  after 
another  the  Packets  sailed  away,  and  were  used  for  other  purposes. 


CAPTAIN    GREEX,    R.N. 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  141 

^  afterwards.  In  1852  the  last  Packet  of  the  old  order 
sailed  out  of  Falmouth  harbour.  The  prosaic  steam 
packet  had  begun  to  appear  over  ten  years  before,  and 
in  a  brief  space,  although  mails  came  and  went  for  a 
while,  the  town  soon  ceased  to  be  a  port  of  call,  and  its 
old  activity  and  the  gay  appearance  of  sea  and  shore, 
died  out  into  a  comparative  silence  and  repose  which 
have  in  this  respect  remained  unbroken. 

The  more  modern  relics  of  the  Packet  Service  are 
scattered  about  in  Falmouth  and  the  neighbourhood, 
and  elsewhere.  Captain  John  Bull,  when  enlarging  his 
house,  placed  a  marble  carving  of  the  Marlborough, 
which  he  had  so  long  commanded  over  the  porch,  and 
his  home  ever  after  went  by  the  name  of  the  vessel 
which  had  seen  so  much  fighting.  Within,  his  portrait 
and  that  of  his  father,  Captain  James  Bull,  by  Opie, 
hang  upon  the  walls,  and  several  mementoes  are 
possessed  by  the  family,  including  a  sword  of  honour 
and  a  model  of  the  old  Packet. 

The  Bulls  were  thorough  sailors,  hale,  bluff  men, 
who  had  the  confidence  of  their  crews,  and  were  ready 
to  face  any  emergency.  The  younger,  John,  is  the  best 
remembered  of  all  the  old  commanders,  although  few 
now  remain  who  can  speak  of  him  from  personal 
knowledge.  Mr.  Norway's  history  has  preserved  at 
length  the  story  of  his  many  fights. 

Captain  Charles  Tilly's  old  home,  "Trevethan 
House,"  which  overlooked  the  Moor,  has  been  lately 
pulled  down,  having  been  long  uninhabited,  although  a 
place  of  some  little  note  in  its  day. 

In  1895  an  interesting  collection  of  pictures  and 
relics  was  brought  together  at  the  annual  exhibition  of 
the  Polytechnic  Society,  which  included  several  por- 
traits, and  miniatures,  models  and  engravings,  drawings 
of  Packet  actions,  presentation  swords,  and  flags  and 
signals.      Among     the    most    notable    were     Captain 


14-  Old  Faluiouth. 

Schuyler's  cocked  liat,  sword  and  dHj4<4er,  and  the 
24-pound  shot  wliicli  killed  Captain  Norway  in  the  action 
between  the  Packet  Montague  and  an  American 
privateer.  To  Mr.  Norway's  lecture  is  due  the  revival 
of  interest  in  this  lont^-forgotten  chapter  of  naval  story 
and  Falmouth  history,  and  the  granite  monument  on 
the  Moor,  erected  in  1898,  in  memory  of  the  gallant 
deeds  he  has  so  ably  related,  shows  that  some  at  least 
have  remembered  and  appreciated  them. 

Here  and  there  in  the  town  a  sentiment  was  breathed 
in  unison  w^ith  the  opinion  of  a  small  boy  I  met  on 
"  Jacob's  Ladder,"  who  remarked  to  another  boy  in  my 
hearing,  "  That  there  old  moniment  ain't  of  no 
account  ! "  Tales  of  smuggling  were  raked  up  and 
tiuttered  about,  and  the  way  in  which  Falmouth  had 
thriven  by  the  old  Service,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
exploits  and  heroism,  so  often  displayed,  which  were 
worthy  of  a  memorial  anywhere — somewhat  forgotten. 
1  confess  there  were  seasons  when  our  Committee  felt 
somewhat  like  Mr.  Martin  Lister  Killigrew  when  Mr. 
Quarme  preached  "  against  me  and  that  to  my  face  ! " — 
and  we  understood  his  sentiments.  A  little  smuggling 
may  have  taken  place,  but  many  good  folks  benefited 
thereby  who  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  Packets.  Did 
not  they  sympathise  with  the  mutiny  ?  And  after  all 
the  overstrained  laws  were  the  most  to  blame.  But 
none  of  these  things,  nor  the  occasional  lapse  in  duty 
on  the  part  of  a  few,  carry,  to  my  mind,  a  handful  of 
weight  against  the  many  instances  of  hardship,  self- 
sacrifice,  bravery,  and  loss  of  life  with  which  the  officers 
and  crews  of  so  many  of  the  Packets  are  associated.  Of 
this  I  think  Falmouth  generally  is  appreciative,  not- 
withstanding a  tale  or  two  about  potatoes  and  puddings, 
and  similar  grubbings. 

In    Falmouth  churchyard,  at  Budock,  at  Mylor,  at 
Gluvias,  and  even  at  St.  Just,  the  old  names  may  be 


CHRISTOI'HEU    SAVERI.AND. 
(From  an  Oil  Painting.) 


Days  of  the  Old  Packet  Service.  143 

seen  graven  on  many  a  stone,  and  on  the  walls  of  the 
Parish  Church  may  be  read  brief  records  of  forgotten 
actions  in  which  commanders  and  men  lost  their  lives. 
It  was  well  that  these  should  be  had  in  remembrance 
before  it  was  too  late,  and  the  simple  monument  lately 
erected  is  surely  deserving  of  a  place  in  the  town  which 
for  more  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  beheld  the 
comings  and  goings  of  a  little  fleet  of  ships  which  largely 
added  to  its  importance  and  well-being. 

A  word  or  two  may  be  said  about  the  mail  coaches, 
then  so  important  to  the  country  at  large.  As  we  have 
seen  it  took  nearly  a  week  to  reach  London  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  i8th  century,  and  wills  were  then  made 
before  starting,  and  even  much  later.  The  fare 
amounted  to  some  six  pounds  or  so,  even  after  this,  and 
some  who  could  not  afford  a  seat  in  the  coach,  were 
content  to  travel  by  Russell's  Waggons,  sleeping  on 
straw.  In  the  earlier  part  of  the  nineteenth  century 
the  coaches  tore  to  London  in  some  sixty  hours, 
subsequently  reduced  to  less  than  fifty.  At  first  Exeter 
and  Bristol  were  the  night  stopping-places  for  these 
quick  day  mails.  From  four  to  six  horses  were  used,  gal- 
lopping  nearly  all  the  way,  and  changed  every  ten  miles. 
But  even  with  the  continual  fresh  teams  the  pace 
destroyed  the  animals,  which  were  worn  out  in  a  year 
or  two.  It  was  a  magnificent  effort  of  muscle, — that 
long  ride  from  the  extreme  west  of  England,  but  fatal 
to  horse-flesh  !  Happily  the  iron  horse  swept  the  system 
remorselessly  aside.  William  Bryce  was  one  of  the 
last  Falmouth  guards,  and  his  gay  red  coat*  and  genial 
face  are  well  preserved  in  a  portrait  owned  by  his  son, 

*  This  gay  attire  attracted  the  attention  of  Espriella  who  remarked  in 
the  previously  mentioned  Letters :  "  The  postmen  all  wear  the  royal  livery, 
which  is  scarlet  and  gold."  But  these  brilliant  postmen  must  have  been 
confined  to  the  metropolis.  The  guards  of  the  older  coaches  were  armed, 
and  flourished  a  blunderbuss  when  required,  as  well  as  a  horn. 


144  ^/^  Falmoutli. 

reproduced  on  the  opposite  page.  One  of  the  coaching 
advertisements  with  a  cut  of  a  coach  with  four  horses,  in 
the  Cormvall  Gazette  of  1829,  runs  as  follows  :  "A  New 
Coach  to  London.  Old  London  Inn, Exeter,  The  Phoenix  : 
to  the  Saracen's  Head,  Snow  hill,  and  Bull  and  Mouth 
Inn,  Bull  and  Mouth  Street,  London.  A  new  Cheap 
Coach  to  Bristol.  Old  London  Inn,  Exeter.  The  Comet, 
Tuesday,  Thursday,  and  Saturday  at  6  o'clock.  High 
Street,  Bristol,  at  half-past  6  o'clock.  Eares,  inside  £1, 
outside  12/-"  Luggage  by  coach  cost  to  or  from  London 
nearly  48s.  per  cwt.  !  Again  :  "The  Royal  Mail  Coach 
direct  to  London  in  48  hours,  through  Bodmin,  Exeter, 
Salisbury,  etc.,  sets  out  every  morning  at  a  quarter  before 
3  o'clock  ;  it  arrives  in  Exeter  at  9  o'clock  at  night, 
where  it  joins  the  different  coaches  to  Portsmouth, 
Bath,  Bristol,  etc." 

Mr.  Killigrew  thought  Mr  Laroche's  ride  in  1737 
from  Port  Elliot  to  London  "  in  8  Days,"  "  more  like 
flying  than  rideing."  What  would  he  have  said  to  this 
breakneck  pace  of  the  later  coaching  period  ? 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Old   Falmouthians. 

FROM  the  nature  of  the  place,  and  its  occupations 
with  those  who  "  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships," 
Falmouth  has  witnessed  many  comings  and  goings  in 
the  matter  of  residents.  Only  a  few  of  the  Packet 
Commanders'  families  took  root,  and  the  names  of  the 
Naval  officers  stationed  at  Falmouth  are  hardly 
remembered. 

One  of  these.  Admiral  Winchester,  lived  in  a  house, 
still  standing,  near  the  top  of  High  Street,  overlooking 
the  water,  and  just  below  the  house  still  remains  an 
old  structure  which  was  used  as  a  ballroom,  connected 
with  the  dwelling  by  a  little  wooden  bridge.  The  old 
house  is  now  occupied  by  several  families  of  the 
working-class,  who  nestle  comfortably  in  the  old- 
fashioned  rooms.  The  same  fate  has  befallen  most  of 
the  old  houses  at  Flushing,  and  the  old  landmarks  are 
removed.  As  one  passes  along  the  quiet  little  Flushing 
street,  an  occasional  peep  can  be  seen  through  an  open 
doorway  into  a  wainscotted  passage,  through  which 
used  to  emerge  long  ago  some  smart-looking  officer  in 
uniform,  or  gaily-attired  dame  ready  for  the  "  Assembly." 
Cv>mpared  with  those  far-off  days,  the  place  is  a  kind  of 
deserted  village,  possessing  charming  possibilities, 
however,  owing  to  its  sheltered  position  from  cold 
winds.     The  ancient  haunts  and  abodes  of  Falmouth 

145 

11 


T46  Old  Falmouth. 

waned  in  the  same  way.  Only  a  remnant  now  remains 
of  Mr.  Corker's  "  great  house "  in  Mulberry  Square,* 
and  of  the  favourite  "quality  corner"  residences  in 
Porhan,  Church,  Arwenack,  and  the  New  Street  and 
Square  (the  last-named  completed  in  1773),  many  have 
become  tenement  houses  or  shops.  Among  those  who 
lived  in  the  Square  were  Colonel  Burgess,  the  Boulder- 
sons,  Barnet  Falck,  Senr.,  and  many  ladies,  and  as  one 
passes  along  may  still  be  seen  the  little  old  brass  door- 
knockers, once  polished  so  brightly,  and  which 
resounded  to  the  knocking  of  visitors,  or  quadrille 
parties.  Not  far  from  here  dwelt  also  Captain  James 
Bull,  before  he  removed  to  Arwenack,  in  a  picturesque 
little  house  glancing  downwards  over  the  harbour,  where 
he  could  see  at  anchor  his  "  pacquet."  People  were 
satisfied  with  far  less  a  century  ago  than  they  are  now. 
Carriages  were  few,  cabs  unknown,  and  sedan  chairs 
very  rare  indeed.  Hence  to  live  in  the  midst  of 
one's  neighbours  was  highly  convenient  for  the  dances 
and  card-parties  in  vogue,  and  preferred  to  the  country 
gardens  and  grounds  which  are  so  popular  in  these 
days  of  varied  conveyances. 

From  the  number  of  mahogany  and  other  polished 
wood  doors  in  old  houses  in  Falmouth,  it  would  seem 
that  a  good  deal  of  choice  wood  was  at  one  time  brought 
into  the  port,  some  of  it  no  doubt  privately  in  the 
Packets. 

Of  the  few  names  inseparably  associated  with 
Falmouth  by  permanent  ties  and  prominently  known  in 
the  eighteenth  century  (to  which  I  confine  myself), 
those  of  the  Bluett,  Corker,  Pender,  Carne,  and  Fox 
families  are,  or  were,  the  most  familiar.  I  have  selected 
these  among  many  others  of  that  period  because  nearly 
all  are  still  represented  here. 

*  This  was  written  some  years  ago.   The  remnant  has  since  been  pulled 
down. 


Old  Fahnouthians.  147 

At  one  time  the  Bluetts  owned  a  good  deal  of  land, 
and  were  no  doubt  influential  in  the  place,  but  any 
connected  details  seem  now  to  be  inaccessible. 

Robert  Corker  and  his  house  and  family  have 
already  been  described,  as  far  as  information  concerning 
them  permits,  and  the  late  Dr.  Vigurs,*  connected  with 
this  family,  is  still  well  remembered. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Pender,  or  Pendar,  as  the  name  was 
sometimes  spelt,  was  Mayor  of  Falmouth  in  1669,  1675, 
and  1686,  and  Mr.  Peter  Pender  was  mayor  of  Falmouth 
in  1713  and  of  Penryn  in  1714.  Apparently  a  grandson 
of  the  first-named,  also  called  Benjamin,  died  at  Penryn 
in  1770.  Some  interesting  old  portraits  exist  at  Budock 
Vean,  but  unfortunately  they  do  not  seem  to  include 
either  of  the  above.  The  majority  are  of  children,  and 
all  difficult  of  identification,  a  thing  which  often  happens 
in  the  case  of  portraits  not  labelled  or  catalogued.  But 
they  form  an  interesting  family  collection.  The  family 
appears  to  have  been  a  younger  branch  of  the  Pendars 
of  Trevider  in  Burian,  resident  there  for  a  long  period. t 

The  Carnes,  an  old  family  of  Welsh  origin,  have 
been  connected  with  Falmouth  for  more  than  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years.  As  shippers  and  importers, 
as  well  as  bankers  and  wine  and  general  merchants 
(including  timber,  etc.),  and  manufacturers,  they 
possessed  an  important  business.  They  acquired  the 
Falmouth  branch  of  the  business  of  John  Camin,  of 
London,  through  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Richard  Carne 
to  a  niece  of  the  former  in  1757.  Mr.  Palairet,  Mr.  John 
Gamin's  partner,  understood  the  art  of  distilling  and 
compounding  liqueurs.  Some  of  the  stills  were  in 
existence  at  the  time  of  the  great  fire,  and  the  original 
ledger  of  the  house  of  the  date  1749,  is  still  extant. 

*The  name  of  Vigurs  is  found  in  Launceston  Church,  of  thedateof  1654. 

f  The  Falcks,  who  follow  next  in  order  of  date,  have  been  already 
referred  to  in  a  previous  chapter. 


148  Old  Falmouth. 

Mr.  John  Carne  was  agent  to  the  East  India 
Company,  and  his  sons  were  agents  to  the  Peninsular 
and  Oriental  and  Royal  Mail  Steamship  Companies 
from  their  commencement.  A  portrait  of  Richard 
Carne  and  his  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Camin  and  other 
members  of  the  family,  hang  on  the  walls  of  Mr. 
William  Naylor  Carne's  beautiful  residence,  Rosemundy, 
(inherited  from  his  uncle),  at  St.  Agnes,  among  other 
family  legacies.  For  two  centuries  Trevaunance,  at 
the  same  place,  belonged  alternately  to  the  Carnes  and 
Tonkins.  Mr.  Carne  is  one  of  the  Cornish  "gardeners," 
and  his  green-houses  hold  rare  ferns  and  plants,  while 
in  his  garden  are  to  be  seen  fine  shrubs  and  flowers, 
well  sheltered  by  large  trees. 

Connected  with  the  Cotesworths,  Pococks,  and 
Bouldersons,  Packet  Commanders  in  the  old  days  of 
the  service,  and  still  maintaining  a  business  centre  as 
well  as  residences  in  the  town,  the  Carnes  are  linked 
to  Falmouth  by  many  ties  and  old  associations.  They 
engaged  in  many  of  its  public  affairs,  charitable  and 
otherwise,  among  them,  in  later  years,  the  making  of  the 
railway  to  Falmouth,  with  which  Mr,  William  Carne 
had  much  to  do  ;  he  was  in  fact  chairman  of  the 
Cornish  line,  although  by  some  irony  of  fate  when  it 
came  it  cut  right  across  the  sweet  garden  of  the 
"  Cottage,"  his  own  home.  Mr.  Naylor  Carne,  the 
present  head  of  the  family  in  Cornwall,  has  spared  no 
expense  in  making  certain  of  his  buildings  in  the  town 
picturesque  or  ornamental,  within  or  without,  accord- 
ing to  their  style,  thereby  improving  the  appearance  of 
the  Market  Strand  and  the  old  street.  He  is  also  the 
owner  of  some  old  places  in  the  town ,  Bell's  Court, 
Mulberry  Square,  the  Well,  and  property  in  High  Street 
belonging  to  the  late  Mr.  Jcffery.  The  "  Cottage,"  with  its 
rose-covered  front,  built  when  the  adjacent  road  was  a 
winding  lane  amid  flowering  hedge-rows,  is  still  in  his 
possession  as  owner,  and  remains  unaltered. 


GEORGE    CROKKK    FOX 

(The  ScLoiul). 


(From  ail  Oil  Painti  nj^.) 


Old  Falmouthians.  149 

The  Quaker  family  of  Fox  may  be  said  to  have 
formed  a  complete  colony  in  and  around  Falmouth, 
and  acquired  a  large  amount  of  land  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. Descended  from  a  branch  of  the  name,  long 
resident  in  the  West  of  England,  and  allied  by  mar- 
riage with  the  ancient  families  of  Kekewich,  Croker  and 
Were,  they  gradually  passed  through  Cornwall,  making 
halting-places  here  and  there,  until,  somewhere  about 
1762,*  some  of  its  members  settled  in  Falmouth.  This 
became  their  home.  Engaged  in  extensive  shipping 
business,  holding  appointments  as  Consuls  for  various 
nations,  and  connected  with  the  old  Quaker  families 
whose  names  are  everywhere  familiar,  they  exercised 
an  influence  which  increased  in  proportion  as  that  of 
many  others  waned.  In  addition  to  this,  the  talents 
possessed  by  several  members  of  the  family  drew 
around  them  many  of  the  scientific  men  of  the  day, 
who  enjoyed  the  repose  and  charm  of  their  Cornish 
homes.  For  a  time  Roscrow,t  Trefusis,  Tredrea,  and 
Greatwood  were  all  tenanted  by  one  or  other  of  the  Foxes, 
who  had  a  great  love  for  country  scenes,  and  created  still 
lovelier  country  abodes  of  their  own.  These  homes,  in 
fact,  became  features  of  Falmouth  and  the  neighbour- 
hood. The  large  walled  garden  of  Grove  Hill,  the  sunny 

*  Mr.  G.  C.  Fox  was  referred  to  in  that  year  as  "  a  Quaker  merchant 
lately  settled  here." 

t  The  house  at  Roscrow  generally  remembered  has  been  lately  pulled 
down;  it  was  a  plain  stone  building  (at  one  time  occupied  by  Mr. 
Robert  Gwatkin),  which  had  replaced  a  more  ancient  and  far  more 
extensive  one — "an  old  granite  castellated  mansion,"  of  which,  however, 
the  quadrangle,  gateway,  and  courtyard  had  all  disappeared.  It  was  to 
this  latter  abode  that  Mrs.  Delaney — (thegreat-grand-daughterof  the  stout- 
hearted Cornishman,  Sir  Bevil  Granville) — then  the  bride  of  Mr.  Alexander 
Pendarves,  was  introduced  in  1717,  rather  to  her  dismay,  as  it  was  gloomy 
and  dilapidated.  She,  however,  described  the  lovely  view,  "which  includes 
one  of  the  finest  harbours  in  England,  generally  filled  with  shipping." 
{Autobiography  and  Correspondence  of  Mary  Granville  (Mrs.  Delaney). 
A  family,  Reskrowe  of  Roskrowe,  seems  to  have  lived  in  this  part  for  some 
centuries.     (Arms). 


150  Old  Fabnonth. 

and  sloping  ghidcs  of  Glendiirgan,  Trebah,*  and  Penjer- 
rick,  and  later  the  t^aidens  at  Rosehill,  would  produce 
almost  anything  in  the  way  of  vegetation,  while 
Tregedna  and  Penmere  were  also  among  the  family 
abodes  admired  and  frequented. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  the  late  Mr,  Joshua  Fox, 
whose  birds  at  Tregedna  chirped  to  his  whistle,  perched 
on  his  shoulders,  and  fed  fearlessly  out  of  his  hand  ?  f 
Or  of  Miss  Anna  Maria  Fox,  whose  long  life  and 
presence  at  Penjerrick  were  a  source  of  happiness  to 
all  who  knew  her,  so  welcome  were  all  her  friends  to 
the  home  of  the  kindly  old  Quaker  lady  ?  The  Journals 
of  her  sister  Caroline,  record  their  lives,  their  many 
friends,  their  literary  tastes,  and  the  various  men  of 
mark  who  found  in  Penjerrick  an  ideal  country  retreat 
after  the  din  of  metropolitan  life.  And  to  the  elder 
sister  was  chiefly  due  the  founding  of  the  Royal  Cornwall 
Polytechnic  Society,!  and  her  brush — for  she  painted 
until  hersight  grew  dim — adornedmany  of  itsexhibitions, 
and  was  ever  at  the  service  of  many  charities.  Any  place 
in  which  she  lived  could  not  but  have  been  the  sweeter 
for  her  life,  and  the  poorer  when  the  hour  came  in 
which  she  passed  away. 

Of  her  father,  Mr.  Robert  Were  Fox  (Junr.),  the  fact 
that  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society 
speaks    for    his    abilities.     He     invented    the    dipping 

•Where  Hartley  Coleridge  and  his  family  were  welcomed  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Charles  Fox. 

t  Mr.  Howard  Fox,  of  Rosehill,  possesses  the  same  bird-taming  faculty. 

I  This  Society  offered  valuable  medals  and  prizes  for  inventions, 
original  paintings,  etc.,  giving  all  possible  encouragement  to  local  and 
other  elTorts  relating  to  the  arts  and  sciences.  One  of  the  most  important 
improvements  in  engineering — for  which  £500  was  offered — promoted  by 
it,  was  the  "Man  Engine,"  which  dispensed  with  the  endless  labour  of 
descending  and  ascending  deep  mines  by  ladders.  The  word  "  Polytechnic" 
was  first  invented  by  Miss  Caroline  Fox,  and  has  since  been  often  adopted. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  all  this  ante-dated  the  popular  modern  exhi- 
bitions by  many  years. 


A  X  N  A      M  A  in  A      FOX 
(at  Penjerrick). 


Old  Falmouthians.  151 

needle  which  bears  his  name,  and  made  magnetic 
currents  a  study,  and  his  researches  brought  him 
in  contact  with  most  of  the  men  of  science  of  his  day, 
as  well  as  many  other  celebrities  who  appreciated  his 
genius.  In  the  sketch  of  his  life,  written  by  Mr.  ].  H. 
Collins,*  a  long  list  of  his  writings  is  given,  most 
of  them  too  purely  technical  in  character  to  be  appreci- 
ated by  the  general  reader.  He  never  seemed  to  lose 
his  interest  in  anything  scientific,  literary,  or  artistic, 
and  in  his  old  age,  until  he  became  an  invalid,  would 
eagerly  seize  on  a  new  volume  or  a  book  of  drawings 
and  scan  them  with  an  eye  which  had  lost  none  of  its 
fire. 

Long  ago,  members  of  the  family  resided  in  hand- 
some houses  in  and  adjacent  to  Arwenack  Street,  t  and 
Bank  House  was  the  scene  of  the  reception  of  the 
young  Queen  of  Portugal  in  1828,  an  affair  which  made 
a  great  stir  in  the  town,  and  will  bear  relating  since  it 
was  a  gay  scene.f  Flags  fluttered,  guns  were  fired,  and 
the  little  Queen,  accompanied  by  Lord  Clinton,  was 
brought  on  shore  at  the  Custom-house  quay  from    the 

*  Catalogue  of  the  Works  of  Robert  Were  Fox,  F.R.S.,  and  a  Sketch  of  his 
Life,  by  J.  H.  Collins,  F.G.S.,  1878. 

fin  1771  Mr-  fi-  C.  Fox,  Sen.,  leased  "Cock's  j^reathouse"  in  Arwenack 
Street,  a  spacious  dwelling,  which  still  stands,  although  the  windows  have 
apparently  been  modernised,  and  the  lower  rooms  altered  into  a  shop. 
This  lease  he  renewed  in  I775>  when  a  sad  misfortune  befel  him  in  the  loss 
of  two  sons  in  a  great  storm  on  the  coast  of  Holland,  one  of  whom — 
William  Were — was  a  life  on  the  lease  in  question.  He  selected  with  rare 
wisdom,  and  acquired  in  1771,  the  land  on  which  Grove  Hill  House  was 
built,  taking  it  on  lease  for  sixteen  years,  after  which  it  became  family 
property.  He  died  in  1781.  In  1789,  Mr.  Davis  wrote  that  Mr.  George 
Croker  Fox,  his  son,  had  just  sent  him  for  his  perusal  an  application  to  Sir 
John  Wodehouse  for  "  inserting  a  Clause  in  the  new  lease  of  his  Elegant 
House  lately  built."  June  16,  1789,  "Mr.  G.  G.  Fox  is  removed  into  his 
new  Built  House." 

jA  painting  of  this  scene  done  at  the  time  by  a  mason,  is  still  in 
existence,  and  is  now  in  possession  of  Mr.  James  Gutheridge  of  Killigrew 
Street. 


152  Old  Falmouth. 

frigate  in  a  gilt  barge.  She  was  attracted  to  and 
delighted  by  the  group  of  young  girls  (one  of  whom 
was  my  late  lamented  mother),  who,  dressed  in  white, 
and  said  to  have  looked  "  most  lovely  and 
interesting"  strewed  flowers  in  the  path-way  of  the  girl- 
Queen,  and  followed  her  to  the  home  of  the  hospitable 
Quaker  lady,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fox,  the  widow  of 
Mr.  Robert  Were  Fox,  Senr.  And  the  little  girl  was 
not  allowed  to  depart  from  thence  without  being 
presented  with  a  Portuguese  Bible  handsomely  bound 
in  red  morocco,  for  the  Friends,  more  than  most  people 
in  those  days,  loved  religion  and  dwelt  much  on  things 
of  the  spiritual  life. 

The  visit  of  the  Queen  and  Prince  Albert  in  1846, 
and  the  vain  endeavour  of  Mr.  Alfred  Fox  to  cast  a 
seine  and  araw  in  a  netful  of  fish  for  the  amusement  of 
the  Royal  lady  are  also  things  remembered  in  which  the 
same  family  took  an  active  part. 

Early  in  the  century.  Miss  Mary  Fox,  who  lived 
partly  at  Pen'jerrick,  and  partly  in  the  town,  above 
Swanpool  Street,  was  the  only  person  in  Falmouth 
possessed  of  a  sedan  chair,  and  the  old  lady  was  carried 
about  in  it  when  in  Falmouth  by  a  couple  of  stout 
porters  from  the  quay  below.  Before  this  a  coach  was 
just  as  rare,  and  attracted  a  crowd  when  seen  in  the 
streets.* 

Strange  as  it  may  now  seem,  the  gardenless  homes  of 
the  town  surrounded  by  neighbours  were  much  beloved, 
and  it  seemed  a  wrench  to  move  ever  so  little  farther 
afield.  An  old  letter  of  Mrs.  George  Croker  Fox  about 
1788,  describing  a  visit  of  Lord  North  to  Falmouth  (he 
had  arrived  in  one  of  the  Packets),  states  :  "My  husband 
is  now  digging  the  foundation  of  a  new  dwelling" 
.  .  .  (Grove  Hill.)  "  I  have  been  of  late  a  little 
intimidated    at    the   view   of   residing  in  the   Country 

•Mr.  Fox  was  owner  of  one  of  the  first  coaches  or  carriages  in  Falmouth, 


ROBERT    WERE    KOX,    K.R.S. 


Old  Falmouihians.  153 

so  many  allarms  in  the  House-breaking  way,  etc.,  have 
been  given  :  of  the  attempt  made  upon  our  Office  thou 
hast  doubtless  heard,  very  Httle  loss  was  sustain'd,  but 
it  has  much  injur'd  the  Nightly  peace  of  my  Mother 
who  is  naturally  fearful."  Nevertheless,  when  the  new 
home  was  ready,  they  found  its  advantages,  and  settled 
comfortably,  undisturbed.* 

Of  alarms,  they  had,  however,  in  these  days,  more 
than  one  kind — thieves  at  home  and  enemies  abroad. 
A  letter  of  Mr.  Joshua  Fox,  Senr.,  dated  August  16, 
1779,  vividly  sets  forth  the  tribulations  which  beset 
"  old  Falmouth,"  which  had  many  scares,  and  much 
excitement.  "  You  will  no  doubt  be  much  surprised 
when  I  tell  you  the  consternation  we  were  all  thrown 
into  last  night  by  the  appearance  of  the  French  Fleet 
off  this  Place,  and  some  of  the  Frigates  so  near  as  three 
miles  off  the  Castlehead.  At  about  6  a.m.  we  first 
discovered  them  from  the  Hill  as  Mr.  Bell  and  myself 
were  looking  at  three  Ships  going  as  we  imagined  to 
join  the  Fleet  and  really  were  so,  but  they  could  not 
get  past,  as  the  enemy  extended  almost  across  the 
Channel.  The  Marlborough,  Iris,  and  Southampton 
were  the  Ships  going  to  join  Sir  Charles  Hardy,  and  the 
Iris  had  a  narrow  escape  of  being  taken.  About  ten 
o'clock  an  Officer  from  the.  Southampton  came  here  with 
a  confirmation  of  what  they  were,  of  which  I  was  well 
assured  the  moment  I  discov'ered  them  with  my  glass, 
and  to  proceed  immediately  to  Penzance  to  get  a  Vessel 
to  carry  a  Dispatch  to  an  Admiral  who  was  cruising 
from  ten  to  twenty  Leagues  off  Scilly.  Plane  is  gone 
from  hence  in  an  open  Shallop  and  as  we  have  heard  of 
his  passing  the  Lizard  am  in  hopes  he  will  reach  the 
Fleet   to-night,  the   wind    being   Southerly,  how   they 

*I  should  state  that  the  interesting  extracts  given  here  were  made  from 
famil)'  letters  examined  by  Mrs.  Howard  Fox,  and  that  Mr.  Robert  Fox 
has  since  kindly  given  his  consent  to  their  being  printed. 


1  :^4  ^'^   I'cll)HOnHl. 

could  have  {^ot  here  without  our  Fleet  seeing  them  is 
astonishing.  You  will  expect  I  should  say  something 
about  their  Number  and  Force  to  neither  of  which  I  can 
assert  positively  except  that  the  Officer  of  the  South- 
ampton told  me  he  counted  last  night  at  7  o'clock  from 
the  Mizen  top-mast  head  seventy-six  sail,  and  from  the 
number  of  small  vessels  which  1  could  see  with  my 
glass  which  I  imagine  consisted  of  about  26  sail,  I 
therefore  think  I  may  venture  to  say  they  do  not  consist 
of  less  than  fifty  sail  of  the  Line,  whicli  God  knows  is 
enough.  Yet  I  flatter  myself  we  shall  be  a  match  lor 
them  as  we  have  such  a  number  of  Capital  Ships, 
altogether  38  Sail  of  the  Line,  10  frigates,  Fire-Ships, 
&c.,  &c.  The  enemy  now  extend  from  the  Manacles  to 
the  Deadman's  Point,  and  I  now  see  eleven  sail  of  large 
Ships  from  the  Hill.  Their  intentions  cannot  yet  be 
discovered.  The  Grantham  is  put  back,"  (one  of  the 
Packets). 

Another  letter  of  the  date  of  1780  gives  an  account 
of  happier  events.  "The  East  India  F'leet  consisting 
of  two  Ships  and  a  Frigate  with  two  fleets  from  the 
West  Indies  as  well  as  one  from  Oporto  bound  home 
are  all  come  in  to  our  Port  except  a  few  from  the 
Leward  Islands  which  are  gone  up  the  Channel.  Our 
harbour  looks  quite  Chearful  with  about  200  sail  of 
Vessels  in  sight  from  our  House.  They  have  lost  but 
one  Vessel  which  was  a  Transport  sunk  in  the  Storm, 
most  of  the  Men  were  saved,  the  fleet  are  very  valuable, 
the  Town  is  full  of  Passengers  from  the  fleets.  Plane 
took  a  small  Privateer  that  was  between  the  fleet  and 
our  Castle,  they  were  so  near  that  we  heard  every  Gun 
from  our  Parlour.  .  .  Thy  afifectionate  brother, 
Joshua  F'ox." 

And  once  again  in  the  same  year  he  writes  to  tell 
his  brother  what  was  going  on,  having  been  evidently 
interested  and  almost  excited  by  these   naval    affairs. 


Old  Falmouthians.  155 

August  17th,  1780.  "On  Thursday  the  Flora  Frigate 
of  40  Guns  brought  in  the  Nymph,  french  Frigate  of  36 
Guns,  which  she  took  after  a  stout  resistance  of  near  two 
hours,  they  fought  some  time  within  Pistol  shot,  but  the 
latter  part  of  the  engagement  they  were  so  near  that 
they  could  not  fire  the  great  Guns,  but  were  obliged  to 
use  small  arms  and  Pikes,  the  French  lost  her  Captain, 
two  Lieutenants  and  near  forty  others  killed  and  a 
number  wounded,  in  all  supposed  to  be  about  120. 
Ours  lost  about  10  killed  and  about  18  wounded ; 
among  the  killed  was  a  Midshipman.  The  French 
vessel  is  exceedingly  shattered,  one  shot  carried  off  all 
the  Muzzle  of  one  of  their  Guns  ;  others  (went)  through 
their  Decks  ;  but  one  Lieutenant  and  one  Midshipman 
unhurt  out  of  all  the  Officers.  She  is  a  very  fine  Vessel. 
No  other  news.  The  Grand  Fleet  passed  by  the 
harbour  for  Spithead  last  evening.  Thee  must  excuse 
a  short  letter  as  it's  late,  and  I  am  obliged  to  dress  to 
drink  tea  with  the  Ambassador  at  his  lodgings." 

Among  the  old  family  letters  is  one  from  a  daughter 
of  "  David  Barclay  in  Cheapside,  giving  an  account  of 
their  Majestys'  entertainment  at  her  father's  house  on 
Lord  Mayor's  Day,  in  London,"  in  1761.  This,  though 
not  an  "old  Falmouth  "  event  is  sufficiently'interesting, 
written  as  it  is  with  all  the  freshness  of  the  recent  stir  of 
the  reception,  to  be  referred  to  in  connection  with  the 
Friends,  especially  as  the  name  of  Barclay  has  long 
been  known  in  the  neighbourhood. 

George  the  Third  and  his  Queen,  Charlotte,  Princess 
of  Mecklenburg,  were  paying  their  state  visit  in  pro- 
cession to  the  City,  shortly  after  he  had  ascended  the 
throne.  Mr.  Barclay's  house  was  a  halting-place  where 
a  collation  was  prepared,  and  the  whole  family  united 
in  doing  the  honours,  and  were  immensely  pleased  with 
the  gracious  manners  of  royalty.  Little  Patty,  one  of 
the  grandchildren,  was  introduced  to  the  Queen,  and 


156  0/</  Fnltnoitth. 

remembering  her  "  instructions,"  kissed  her  hand  and 
behaved  so  prettily,  tliat  her  Majesty  was  enchanted. 
"  On  her  return  to  the  drawing-room  such  a  report  was 
made  to  the  king,  that  Miss  was  sent  for  again,  and  she 
was  so  lucky  as  to  ailord  liis  Majesty  great  amusement 
in  particular  by  telling  him  she  loved  the  king  though 
she  must  not  love  fine  things,  and  that  her  Grandpapa 
would  not  allow  her  to  make  a  courtesy  1"  The  latter 
relates  how  the  Queen  took  tea  and  was  escorted  to 
the  coach  by  the  writer's  brothers,  and  describes  her 
attire.  Her  hair  was  of  a  light  colour  in  ringlets  with  a 
circle  of  diamonds,  she  wore  a  dress  trimmed  with  gold 
and  silver,  and  a  train  supported  by  a  little  page  in 
scarlet  and  silver.  "The  lustre  of  her  stomacher  was 
inconceivable,  being  one  of  the  presents  she  received 
whilst  Princess  of  Mecklenberg,  and  having  a  vast 
profusion  of  diamonds  on  it."*  Her  Majesty,  as  a 
foreigner,  expressed  deep  regret  at  being  unable  to 
converse  with  them. 

Among  other  good  works  the  Fox  and  Tregelles 
families  established  in  1790  a  Sunday  School,  and 
"sent  the  children  to  church  in  a  decent  manner"; 
also  a  school  of  industry  for  the  very  poor,  mostly  girls, 
to  learn  knitting,  etc.  These  were  maintained  by 
subscriptions,  and  some  sixty  children  were  employed. 

One  Consulship  held  by  the  family  deserves  special 
mention.  In  the  possession  of  Messrs.  G.  C.  Fox  and 
Co.,  there  are  Letters  Patent  bearing  the  signature  of 
George  Washington,  and  dated  at  the  City  of  Phila- 
delphia, May  30th,  1794,  appointing  Robert  Were  Fox 
Consul  of  the  United  States  of  America  for  the  Port  of 
Falmouth.  He  was  succeeded  by  Robert  Were  Fox, 
his  son,  whose  appointment  bears  date  September  2nd, 
1815,  and  is  signed  by  James  Maddison  and  counter- 
signed   by   James    Monroe,    Secretary   of   State.     The 

•  George  the  Third  was  said  to  have  spent  £80,000  on  these  diamonds. 


Old  Falmotithians.  157 

successor  of  the  latter  was  his  brother,  Alfred  Fox,  who 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Howard  Fox,  the  present 
holder  of  the  office.  This  is  the  only  instance  of  the 
American  Consulate  remaining  in  the  same  family  since 
the  appointments  made  by  Washington. 

In  the  year  1814  occurred  the  terrible  wreck  of  the 
Queen  transport,*  returning  from  Spain  with  invalid 
soldiers  who  had  fought  with  Wellington's  army,  and 
women  and  children.  Insufficiently  anchored  in 
Carrick  Roads,  in  a  gale  from  the  south-east — a  danger- 
ous quarter  for  the  outer  harbour — she  drifted  on  the 
rocks  at  Trefusis  Point,  and  broke  up,  nearly  two 
hundred  persons  being  drowned.  Mr.  George  Croker 
Fox,  Senr.,  at  that  time  rented  Trefusis,  and  on  hearing 
of  the  disaster,  at  once  repaired  to  the  place,  accom- 
panied by  his  clerks  and  servants,  and  did  all  that  was 
possible  to  rescue  the  unfortunate  people  struggling  in 
the  water,  the  house  at  Trefusis  being  thrown  open  and 
all  the  aid  he  could  offer  being  given  to  the  survivors. 
There  seemed  to  have  been  no  life-belts,  and  the  scene 
was  one  of  indescribable  suffering.  Mr.  John  Plomer, 
the  farmer  at  Trefusis,  risked  his  life  in  assisting  many 
of  the  poor  people  to  land  who  just  managed  to  reach 
the  rocks  but  who  were  too  exhausted  to  make  any 
further  effort.  One  Lieutenant  Daniel,  of  the  30th 
regiment,  lost  his  wife  and  five  children  on  that  night. 

Another  calamity,  which  took  place  a  few  years 
later,  also  cast  its  shadow  over  Falmouth,  and  was  met 
by  the  same  intense  sympathy  and  helpful  efforts.  In 
1825,  the  destitute  passengers  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany's Ship  Kent  were  landed  at  Falmouth,  in  need  of 
almost  all  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  Mr.  Barclay  Fox 
stripped  off  his  waistcoat  to  clothe  a  shivering  stranger, 
while  Mr.  William  Crouch,  another  Friend,  offered  his 

*A  fine  print  of  the  ship  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Rowe,  of  Lower 
Killigrew  Street. 


158  OUi  Falmoufh. 

own  shoes  to  a  lady  who  stood  with  bare  feet.  But  all 
P'ah-nouth  united  in  showing  hospitahty  to  the  people 
who  had  met  with  this  terrible  disaster.  Some  of  the 
sufferers  were  half-naked,  and  must  have  appealed  to 
every  heart,  and  the  scenes  they  went  through  in 
the  burning  ship  have  become  a  matter  of  history. 
With  incredible  recklessness  the  East  Indiaman  (con- 
taining in  all  641  persons  of  whom  80  perished),  was 
loaded  with  500  barrels  of  gunpowder  and  several 
hundredweight  of  highly  explosive  percussion  powder, 
and  as  the  flames  advanced,  and  the  pitching  of  the 
vessel  rendered  the  conveyance  of  the  boats  to  the 
Cambria,  which  stood  off  to  rescue,  slow  and  laborious, 
the  suspense  was  terrible.  The  story  (published  by  the 
Religious  Tract  Society),  is  related  by  General  Sir  Duncan 
MacGregor,  K.C.B.,  who  was  on  board,  and  who  paid 
the  highest  tribute  to  the  ladies  of  Falmouth,  especially 
those  of  the  Friends.  It  suffices  to  say,  since  the 
account  has  been  published  at  length  locally,  and  as 
above,  that  the  majority  of  those  on  board  the  Kent 
were  happily  saved,  but  underwent  great  suffering  in 
the  Cambria,  600  persons  being  brought  home  in  a 
vessel  of  200  tons.  A  large  silver  medal  was  struck 
by  the  inhabitants  of  F'almouth,  Truro,  Helston,  Penryn 
and  St.  Ives,  in  commemoration  of  the  event,  designed 
apparently  to  be  bestowed  on  those  who  had  shown 
conspicuous  bravery  in  rescuing  the  sufferers.  One  of 
these,  unclaimed,  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Nathaniel  P'ox,  who  has  kindly  allowed  it  to  be  photo- 
graphed for  illustration.* 

Among   other   benevolent   actions  the   Fox  family 
greatly  exerted  themselves  in  1807  in  behalf  of  William 

•On  tlic  walls  of  the  Parish  church  may  be  read  a  brief  reference  to  a 
similar  and  later  disaster,  in  which  "William  Symons,  who  commanded  the 
Royal  Mail  Steamer  Amazon,  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay  on  her 
first  voyage  to  the  West  Indies,  Jan.  4,  1855,"  'ost  his  life  (as  did  others,) 
"in  the  discharge  of  his  duty." 


JOSKl'M    I'OX,    Sl.MUK 
(Suri^eon) . 


Krom  ;in  Oil  Painlini;.) 


Old  FaUnoiithians.  159 

Wilberforce's  election  for  Yorkshire,  on  account  of  his 
opposition  to  slavery,  and  received  from  him  cordial 
thanks. 

A  story  is  told  of  Mr.  Joseph  Fox,  the  surgeon,  of 

Falmouth,    (ancestor   of   Mr.    Nathaniel   Fox),    which 

illustrates  his  firm  adherence  to  the  principles  of  the 

Friends.     He  held  shares  in  some  revenue-cutters,  but 

on    finding   they   were   to    be   armed   for  privateering 

purposes  during  the  war  with  America,  he  declared  : — 

"  Privateering   is  a  practice  I  detest  and  abhor  ;    nor 

shall  a  penny  obtained  by  that  means  ever  enrich  me 

or    my    family."      On    the   return    of   the   vessels   he 

claimed   his   share,   placed   the   money    aside   for   the 

purpose  of  returning  it,  and  sent  his  son.  Dr.  Edward 

Long  Fox,  of  Bristol,  to  trace  out  the  original  owners. 

The  money,  amounting  to  some  ;^2,3oo,  was  after  much 

trouble  restored  in  1784.    This  is  the  true  version  given 

by  his  son  Dr.  Joseph  Fox,  and  published  in  the  Youths' 

Instructor  and  Guardian  (1828),  of  an  incident  which 

has  been  more  or  less  incorrectly  referred  to,  and  which 

illustrates  the  aversion  of  this  true-hearted  Friend  to  the 

practices  of  warfare.     Dr.  Joseph  Fox  resided  at  one 

time  at  Wood  Cottage,  Restronguet,  a  beautifully  laid 

out  place,  now  called  Greatwood. 

It  should  be  recorded  here  that  it  was  through  the 
private  enterprise  of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Fox  that  the 
telegraph  was  carried  down  to  the  Lizard,  and  a  station 
established  there.  This  was,  however,  later  on,  taken 
over  by  the  General  Post  Office,  which  gave  the  firm 
compensation. 

A  list  of  the  various  literary  and  scientific  works  and 
articles  written  by  members  of  this  family,  published, 
or  printed  for  private  circulation,  would  fill  many  pages. 
Among  them  are  the  various  contributions  to  scientific 
research  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Robert  Were  Fox,  of 
Penjerrick,  the  Illustrations  of  Greek  History  and  Anti- 


i6o  Old  Falmouth. 

quitics  of  Miss  Anna  Maria  F'ox,  translations  from 
Italian  works  by  both  the  sisters,  Anna  Maria  and 
Caroline,  translations  of  Greek  Plays  by  George  Croker 
Fox  (the  third),  and  medical  treatises  by  other  of  its 
members.  It  would  require  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
various  authors  and  the  subjects  of  which  they  treated 
to  do  justice  to  their  mental  gifts,  and  their  endeavours 
to  promote  an  intellectual  life  in  what  was  once  a  remote 
part  of  England. 

Falmouth  had  no  newspaper  of  its  own  until  1855,  but 
announced  and  derived  its  news  from  a  paper  called  the 
Cornwall  Royal  Gazette,  Falmouth  Packet,  and  Plymouth 
Journal.  The  press  of  the  day  contained  at  times  some 
quaint  reports.  Among  them  I  cannot  forbear  to  select 
the  following  (1827),  headed  ^^  Mermaids  on  the  Coast  of 
Cornwall,"  although  these  amiable  creatures  were  not 
"  old  Falmouthians."  "  The  following  most  marvellous 
statement  has  been  published  in  the  Plytnouth  Journal 
and  copied  into  other  papers.  A  correspondent  writes 
to  the  Plymouth  Journal  to  say — '  Within  these  last 
two  or  three  days  there  have  been  several  Mermaids 
seen  on  the  rocks  at  Trennance,  in  the  parish  of 
Mawgan.'  ...  A  young  man  heard  'a  screeching 
noise  proceeding  from  a  large  cavern,'  and  on  investi- 
gation discovered  it  to  '  proceed  from  Mermaids.'  He 
grew  circumstantial  as  he  enlarged  upon  the  occurrence 
and  related  that  '  two  of  the  Mermaids  were  large, 
about  four  and  a  half  to  five  feet  long.'  In  the  same 
Journal  of  July  14th,  this  was  gravely  corroborated  by 
someone  who  wrote  that  they  were  *  exactly  like 
Christians.'  "  *  Will  anyone  undertake  to  find  mermaids 
in  a  cavern  at  Mawgan  now  ? 

An  odd  record  was  made  early  in  the  last  century  to 
the  effect  that  in  calculating  the  returns  of  the  popula- 

*  These  "Christian"  mermaids  were  evidently  seals,  which  occasionally 
appear  on  the  north  coast. 


Old  Falmouthians.  i6i 

tion  in  Falmouth  in  1811,  numbering  some  6,000 
persons,  "  it  appears  that  about  three-fifths  of  the  popu- 
lation are  females."  To  this  is  added  that  "  out  of 
twenty-three  persons  who  had  exceeded  ninety  years  of 
age,  in  a  period  of  thirty  years,  seventeen  were  females." 
Women  scored  indeed  !  But  did  they  forget  the  gallant 
sailors  at  sea  ?  The  same  condition  prevailed  in  1743, 
when  Mr.  Abraham  Hall  wrote  that  "Ladies  wereplentiful 
and  good  husbands  scarce  in  this  town  of  ours." 

The  Bulls — old  Falmouthians  also,  who  follow  in 
order  of  date, — have  been  referred  to  in  the  preceding 
chapter. 

For  a  short  time  John  Opie  as  a  youth  resided  at 
Falmouth,  leaving  for  London  with  Dr.  Wolcot  in  1781. 
Dr.  Wolcot  and  Mr.  John  Penwarne,  of  Penwarne,  and 
his  brother,  were  among  his  earliest  friends,  and  to  Mr. 
Penwarne  the  artist  addressed  a  warm  letter  of  thanks 
in  1782.  During  his  residence  in  the  town  and  after  he 
was  more  widely  known,  he  painted  several  portraits  of 
persons  in  the  neighbourhood,  those  known  being 
members  of  the  Penwarne  family,  Henrietta,  daughter 
of  Mr.  George  Bell,  the  Rev.  Edward  Walmsley, 
Mr.  Peter  Bown  Harris,  of  Rosmeryn,  Mr.  Lewis  Charles 
Daubuz,  Mr.  Robert  Were  Fox,  Senr.,  Captain  John 
Goodridge  (as  already  mentioned),  Lieut.  George  Bell 
Lawrence,  R.N.,  Captain  Mark  Gates,  of  Pendennis 
Castle,  Captain  John  Peters,  R.N.,  of  Penwarne,  Captain 
Lovell  Todd,  Captain  James  Bull  (H.M.  Packet 
Service),  Dr.  Cornelius  Cardew,  D.D.,  of  Truro,  Mrs. 
Catherine  Eycott  Bulkley,  and  Mr.  John  Vivian,  of 
Pencalenick.  Born  at  St.  Agnes,  his  boyhood  spent  in 
obscure  life,  he  subsequently  became  a  fashionable 
artist,  who  was  welcomed  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds, 
presented  to  King  George  IH.,  enrolled  among  the 
Royal  Academicians,  and  appointed  to  the  Professor- 
ship of  Painting.     He  painted  the  portraits  of  Johnson, 

12 


i62  Old  Fahiioutli. 

Mrs.  Stddons,  Hannuh  More,  ;intl  niaiiy  persons  of 
rank,  and  his  pictures  included  also  some  historical  and 
poetical  subjects.  His  London  career  is  too  well 
known  to  need  further  reference  in  pages  devoted  to 
local  items  and  histories,  and  it  suffices  to  say  that  his 
abilities  were  remarkable  and  embraced  a  good  deal 
more  than  artistic  genius.  On  his  mother's  side  he  was 
descended  from  an  ancient  Cornish  family,  and 
although  his  father  was  in  an  obscure  position,  it  is  said 
he  belonged  to  a  younger  branch  of  the  Opie  family. 
Many  still  bear  the  name,  variously  spelt,  and  the  main 
branch  was  of  good  standing,  though  I  am  unable  to 
give  its  history  or  vicissitudes. 

Dr.  Wolcot,  Opie's  early  patron  and  friend,  who  also 
lived  in  Falmouth  for  a  short  time,  leaving  for  London 
in  1781,  was  many  times  painted  by  the  artist,  but  the 
doctor's  residence  in  the  town  was  too  brief  to  connect 
him  with  it,  or  it  might  have  possibly  come  in  for  a 
share  of  that  satirical  wit  which,  though  admired  by 
some,  offended  others.  He  was,  in  fact,  styled  by  Sir 
Walter  Scott  as  "  the  most  unsparing  calumniator  of  his 
time."  Opie  evidently  revisited  Falmouth,  as  on  one 
of  his  portraits  is  recorded  "Painted  at  Falmouth  in 

1785." 

Mr.  Tippet,  the  Town  Clerk,  and  attorney  as  he  was 

then  styled,  was  a   well  known  figure  in   Falmouth  in 

old  days,  and  one  of  the  residents  of  Arwenack  Street. 

He  married  in  1779  Harriot  (so  recorded)  Bell,  daughter 

of  Mr.  George  Bell.     His  elder  sons  James  and  Charles 

took  the  name  of  Vivian,  being  heirs  to  the  Pencalenick 

estate   through  the  maternal  side.      Strangely  enough 

none  of  the  four  sons  came  into  the  property,  which 

passed  to  a  cousin  of  the  same  name,  and  is  now  owned 

by  Mr.  Michael  Williams.     Mr.  Wilson  L.  Fox  is  the 

last  representative  of  the  old  firm,  which  was  originally 

"Tippet,    Bull    and   Tippet,"    then   Bull  (James),  then 


< 
a 


y. 

a 

X 


o 


Old  Falmoiithians.  163 

Tilly,*  then  Tilly  and  Sons,  then  Tilly  (Harry)  and  Fox, 
and  is  now  Fox  (Wilson  Lloyd). 

The  much-esteemed  Mr.  Banfield,  the  banker,  died 
in  1823,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  greatly  regretted,  as  the 
tablet  to  his  memory  in  the  church  records  ;  he  was  a 
man  of  generous  disposition,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
Falmouth,  on  his  decease,  testified  their  respect  for  him 
throughout  the  town. 

The  name  of  Downing  runs  so  persistently  through 
the  Parish  Church  Register  from  its  earliest  date,  that 
I  desired  to  obtain  some  data  respecting  the  family,  but 
on  application  to  an  aged  member  of  it,  a  cousin  of  Mr. 
J.  C.  Downing,  of  "London  House," — the  Rev.  S.  P. 
Downing,  Vicar  of  Sutton  Waldron, — I  found  to  my 
regret  that  he  possessed  no  information  of  special 
interest,  the  main  fact  being  that  as  continuous  residents 
within  the  parish,  the  Downings  are  apparently  the 
oldest  Falmouthians. 

Some  active-minded  folk  were  ever  being  drawn 
from  time  to  time  to  the  town,  who  contributed  to  its 
welfare.  The  first  printing-press  in  Cornwall  was  estab- 
lished by  Mrs.  Elliot,  of  Exeter,  the  great-grandmother 
of  the  late  Mrs.  Genn,  who  always  admired  the  enterprise 
and  ability  of  her  ancestor.  Possibly  it  was  at  this  print- 
ing press  that  the  Falmouth  Bible  was  printed  in  the  year 
1800.  It  was  begun  at  Helston  and  included  only  the 
Old  Testament.  Copies  are  scarce,  but  one  is  m  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Nathaniel  Fox,  and  another  is  or  was 
owned  by  someone  in  the  town  whose  name  I  cannot 
discover. 


*  Tobias  Harry  Tilly,  eldest  son  of  Captain  John  Tilly  of  the  Packet  Service, 
who  entered  into  partnership  with  James  Bull,  Jun.,  of  Boslowick,  and 
married  his  daughter  Henrietta.  He  bought  Tremough  and  made  an 
enthusiastic  effort  to  promote  the  Falmouth  Docks,  which,  however,  proved 
a  very  costly  affair  for  a  place  no  longer  in  the  heart  of  the  shipping 
business,  and  unfortunately  embarrassed  him. 


164  Old  Falmouth. 

Mrs.  Genu's  father,  Mr.  James  Cornish,  charmed  the 
late  Lord  Beaconsficld  (then  Mr.  Disraeh),  who  filled  a 
letter  about  him  in  1830,  while  detained,  as  frequently 
happened  to  passengers,  at  the  Royal  Hotel,  for  a 
Packet  to  Lisbon.  "  Here  at  F'almouth,"  he  wrote, 
"  which,  by-the-bye,  is  one  of  the  most  charming  places 
I  ever  saw  (I  mean  the  scenery  around),  I  met  a  Mr. 
Cornish,  who  I  believe  is  a  medical  man  here,  and  one 
of  the  Corporation.  .  .  Would  you  believe  it,  he  has 
everyone  of  my  father's  works,— except  'James'  and 
'Charles,'  which  however  he  has  read  through  the 
book  society,  interleaved,  and  full  of  MS.  notes  and 
very  literary  ones.  He  has  even  the  Bowles  and  Byron 
controversy  all  bound  up  with  the  review,  and  a  MS. 
note  to  prove  that  Disraeli  was  the  author  of  the  review 
from  parallel  passages  from  the  '  Quarrels,' etc.  You 
never  saw  such  a  man.  He  literally  knows  my  father's 
works  by  heart." 

The  letters  that  Mr.  Disraeli  wrote  are  full  of 
vivacity,  and  witty  description,  and  no  one  would  guess 
that  they  came  from  the  pen  of  a  person  who  fancied 
his  every  prospect  in  life  was  barred  out  by  ill-health. 
They  have  since  been  published  under  the  title  of 
Home  Letters,  by  Murray. 

Mr.  Cornish's  only  daughter,  the  late  Mrs.  Genn, 
was  an  artist  of  no  ordinary  ability,  her  paintings, 
ohiefly  of  flowers,  havmg  been  exhibited  in  London, 
Plymouth,  and  at  the  local  exhibitions.  Her  brush,  too, 
was  ever  at  the  service  of  the  cause  of  charity,  to  which 
she  devoted  much  time,  being  greatly  interested  in 
temperance  work  and  many  organisations  in  the  town 
for  the  benefit  of  the  poor.  Few  have  been  so  generally 
beloved  by  all  classes. 

Mr.  Cornish  (M.R.C.S.),  was  born  in  Falmouth 
in  1792.  His  father  was  a  merchant  captain,  who  was 
taken   prisoner   by   one   of   the   numerous    privateers, 


Old  Falmouthiatis.  165 

and  died  in  a  French  prison.  His  brother  was  secretary 
of  the  Reform  Club,  and  lived  in  London  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  Mr.  William  James  Genn, 
who  married  Mr,  Cornish's  daughter,  was  among  those 
whose  portraits  adorn  the  walls  of  the  Town  Hall.  The 
portrait  was  presented  to  him  by  Lord  Northbrook 
(formerly  Mr.  T.  G.  Baring,  one  of  the  members 
for  Falmouth,  elected  in  1857),  and  the  inscription  states 
that  it  was  "  Presented  to  William  James  Genn  in 
commemoration  of  his  long  and  valuable  services 
as  clerk  to  the  following  authorities  :  Falmouth  Union, 
50  years ;  County  Justices  (acting  for  the  division 
of  East  Kerrier),  42  years  ;  Town  Council,  36  years. 
Borough  Justices,  23  years.  Dated  30th  day  of 
September,  1887." 

A  friendship  founded  on  mutual  regard  and  esteem 
arose  between  Lord  Northbrook  and  Mr.  Genn  which 
lasted  to  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1890,  and  singularly 
enough  the  portraits  of  both  still  remain  opposite 
each  other  in  the  Town  Hall.  Mr.  Genn's  grandfather 
came  to  Falmouth  from  America  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  his  family — of  Yorkshire  descent — 
having  emigrated  from  that  county  at  the  time  of 
the  Mayflower  expedition  and  in  connection  with 
it.  Several  instances  of  the  name  are  still  to  be  found 
in  Massachusetts.  Unbefriended,  he  entered  into  some 
simple  business  venture  in  the  town,  and  his  son  James, 
who  became  a  partner  of  the  Pender  firm  of  solicitors, 
and  was  Deputy  Town  Clerk,  married  Miss  Hawke,  of 
the  old  family  of  Hawke  of  Mount  Hawke  near  St. 
Agnes.  Of  his  three  grandsons,  one,  John  Hawke 
Genn,  held  for  many  years  an  appointment  in  the 
Custom  House  at  Liverpool,  another,  James,  went  out 
to  Brazil  and  died  there,  while  William  James  Genn 
became  the  well-known  solicitor  and  Town  Clerk 
of   Falmouth,    in   whose   public    matters    he    took    a 


1 66  Old  Falmouth. 

deep  interest.  Mr.  Germ's  desire  to  become  a  barrister, 
— a  branch  of  the  legal  profession  to  which  he  was 
greatly  drawn  in  his  earlier  days, — had  to  remain 
an  unrealised  dream,  notwithstanding  opportunities, 
owing  to  his  father's  ill-health,  and  he  remained  in 
Falmouth  leading  possibly  a  less  ambitious,  but 
a  busy,  useful,  and  honoured  life. 

The  house  in  the  Woodlane  was  one  of  those 
in  which  the  tenant  or  leaseholder  was  bound  by 
a  clause  in  the  lease  to  grind  corn  only  at  Sir  John 
Wodehouse's  mill,  the  Manor  mill. 

Among  Mr.  Genu's  papers  were  preserved  copies  of 
the  Killigrew  MS.  and  some  satirical  verses  by  John 
Reynolls,  who  died  in  1827,  aged  58.  A  note  attached 
to  the  MS.  states  that  Reynolls  "  was  a  man  of  great 
mental  cultivation,  familiar  with  the  Italian  poets 
and  largely  self-taught."  Like  Dr.  Wolcot,  though  of 
lesser  fame,  he  was  however,  apt  to  satirise  his 
neighbours,  a  performance  which  is  naturally  unpopular, 
and  his  friends  in  the  place  were  confined  to  a  few 
persons  who  understood  him  and  escaped  the  shafts  of 
his  rather  reckless  pen. 

The  gifted  son  of  an  old  Falmouthian  (John  Jeffery, 
who  owned  property  in  the  High  Street),  Henry  Marty n 
Jeffery,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  deserves  mention  as  one  who 
distinguished  himself  in  scholarship.  He  was  born  in 
1826,  at  Lamorran  Rectory,  where  lived  his  grandfather, 
the  Rev.  W.  Curgenven,  who  married  the  sister  of  the 
well-known  Senior  Wrangler,  Orientalist,  and  Mission- 
ary, the  Rev.  Henry  Martyn.  He  was  for  seven  years 
at  the  Falmouth  Grammar  School,  and  later  on 
graduated  at  Cambridge,  and  came  out  sixth  wrangler 
in  the  mathematical  tripos,  taking  his  degree  shortly 
afterwards.  For  a  considerable  period  he  was  head 
Master  of  Cheltenham  Grammar  School,  a  post  he 
resigned  in  1882,  when  he  came  to  Falmouth  to  reside. 


Old  Fahnouthians.  167 

and  to  look  after  the  freehold  property  which  his  father 
had  held  in  the  town.  It  was  as  a  mathematician  that 
he  was  chiefly  known, through  engaging  in  very  abstruse 
investigations,  and  in  1880  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of 
the  Royal  Society.  His  interest  in  the  Polytechnic 
Society,  and  the  Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall,  with  its 
antiquarian  researches,  brought  him  in  contact  with 
many  in  this  part  of  the  county  who  appreciated  his 
talents  and  the  valuable  help  he  gave  in  various 
scientific  matters. 

He  died  in  1891,  and  his  aunts,  the  Miss  Curgenvens, 
presented  a  fine  collection  of  books  from  his  library  to 
the  Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall,  in  addition  to  which 
his  mathematical  library,  consisting  of  some  two 
hundred  volumes,  was  added  by  Mr.  George  Pooley, 
of  Falmouth. 

The  name  of  Jeffery  first  appears  in  the  Falmouth 
Parish  register  in  1684. 

The  family  of  Tregelles  resided  in  the  town  for  a 
long  period.  Dr.  Samuel  Prideaux  Tregelles,  LL.D., 
who  was  born  at  Falmouth  in  18 13,  was  its  most 
distinguished  member.  His  great  life-work  was  the 
investigation  of  the  Greek  text  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  he  spared  neither  labour  nor  expense  over  it,  exam- 
ining various  European  libraries.  He  wrote  a  valuable 
work  on  the  Canon  Mnratorianiis  and  was  invited  to 
join  the  Committee  for  revising  the  Authorised  Version 
of  the  NewTestament.  He  was  awarded  a  pension  by 
the  Government,  from  the  Civil  List,  and  died  at 
Plymouth,  where  he  resided,  in  1875. 

Falmouth  has  produced  artists  of  note  in  days  long 
before  the  "  Newlyn  School,"  and  its  kindred  spirits  in 
this  neighbourhood  came  to  the  front. 

The  name  of  James  G.  Philp  is  known  far  a-field.  He 
was  a  student  of  the  Royal  Academy,  and  a  member  of 
the  New  Water  Colour    Society   in   London,   and  his 


i68  Old  Falwouih. 

drawings  and  paintings  are  very  numerous  and  many  of 
them,  the  later  ones — which  were  marked  by  greater 
spirit  and  originality — very  fine.  I  remember  seeing 
two  before  they  were  sent  to  London  for  exhibition, 
priced  at  seventy  guineas  each,  which  represented 
rugged  Cornish  headlands  and  the  sea  beneath,  to  the 
life.  I  have  reason  to  be  grateful  to  his  brush,  since 
the  first  thing  I  look  upon  in  the  morning  is  a  lovely 
sketch  of  a  summer  dawn  on  the  Devon  coast — a  faith- 
ful study  from  nature  in  one  of  her  most  pleasing 
moods.  No  less  gifted — in  music — was  his  cousin 
Elizabeth  Philp,  the  daughter  of  James  Philp,  of 
Falmouth,  whose  beautiful  songs  may  be  said  to  have 
been  sung  round  the  world.  Mr.  Philp  possessed  so 
much  native  musical  talent,  that  it  is  said  he  would  have 
succeeded  m  music  equally  well  as  in  art. 

The  Philp  family  engaged  in  printing,  publishing, 
and  literary  work,  in  Falmouth  and  in  Bristol,  and 
some  of  its  members  entered  the  Unitarian  ministry — 
one,  the  Rev.  John  Philp  being  thus  engaged  at  Ipswich. 
He  was  the  originator  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
The  Rev.  William  Pellowe  Philp,  his  brother,  was, 
however,  curate  of  St.  Columb  Major. 

Robert  Kemp  Philp,  the  brother  of  the  artist,  was 
born  at  Falmouth  in  1819,  and  was  one  of  the  editors 
of  the  Home  Covipanion  and  Family  Friend,  and  the 
author  of  the  well  known  works  Enquire  Within  upon 
Everything,  The  Reason  Why,  the  Dictionary  of  Daily 
Wants  and  Useful  Knowledge,  as  well  as  a  History  of 
Progress  in  Great  Britain,  and  various  panoramic 
railway  guides,  and  poems. 

One  hundred  years  of  uninterrupted  residence  in 
Falmouth  must  necessarily  bring  the  Broad  family 
within  the  scope  of  this  chapter,  even  though  they 
settled  in  the  town  just  after  the  eighteenth  century  had 
closed. 


KOHKRT    K'lCIIAIvDS    HUOAI). 


(From  a  Photograph  hy  \V.  M.   HarrisDn,  l-'ahii<.ulh.) 


Old  Falmonthiatis.  169 

Messrs.  William  Broad  and  Sons,  mercantile  and 
shipping  agents,  were  the  first  agents  for  Lloyds  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  showing  that  Falmouth  was  recog- 
nised as  an  important  port. 

Mr.  Robert  Richards  Broad,  Senr.,  was  one  of  the 
most  active  public  men  in  Falmouth.  Always  cheerful 
and  kind-hearted,  helpful  and  energetic,  he  was  the 
friend  of  everybody.  I  remember  paying  a  summer  visit 
to  Falmouth  during  his  life-time,  when  uncertain 
weather  marred  various  excursions  we  had  planned. 
Mists  blew  along  the  coast,  the  lovely  views  were 
obscured,  and  ducks  went  quacking  down  the  rivulets 
in  the  street,  for  at  that  time  somebody  kept  ducks  in 
Church  Street,  where  we  had  rented  a  house,  (then  no 
easy  matter  to  arrange),  and  the  street  still  contained 
some  good  old  residences.  Emerging  from  our  front- 
door in  water-proofs  we  encountered  Mr.  Broad,  and 
bemoaned  the  aspect  of  affairs.  "  Oh  1 " — said  he  in  his 
cheery  way,  — "don't  be  troubled.  It's  going  to  clear, 
see,  there's  a  bit  of  blue  sky  up  there  ! — we  shall  have 
good  weather  soon!"  And  so  we  did.  I  always 
remembered  that  happy  view  of  the  "  bit  of  blue  sky  " 
amid  the  clouds  as  characteristic  of  the  seer. 

Mr.  Broad,  born  at  Penzance  in  1797,  was  the 
eldest  of  three  sons,  their  father,  William  Broad  (also 
born  at  Penzance  in  1772),  having  been  a  captain  in  the 
Merchant  Service,  who  distinguished  himself  by  con- 
voying the  British  Fleet  during  the  war  with  France,  a 
deed  which  was  mentioned  in  the  Naval  Chronicle  at 
the  time.  He  was  educated  at  the  Truro  Grammar 
School.  He  it  was  who  became  agent  for  Lloyds  in 
1809,  and  established  with  his  sons  Robert  and  William, 
the  firm  as  above-named,  the  youngest,  Alfred,  settling 
in  Plymouth  as  a  wine  merchant.  For  fifty  years 
Mr.  R.  R.  Broad  was  consul  for  the  Netherlands,  and 
presented    the    Leyden    Museum    with    a    cabinet    of 


lyo  Old  Falmouth. 

Cornish  mincralogical  specimens.       He  was  a  popular 
and  very  influential  man  in  the  town. 

Mr.  Robert  Broad's  three  sons,  William,  Robert, 
and  Sydney,  resided  uninterruptedly  in  Falmouth,  not- 
withstanding the  decline  in  shipping,  and  also  in  mining 
interests,  in  which  they  had  invested,  too  readily, 
considerable  sums  of  money,  after  the  days  of  rapid 
fortunes  and  successful  speculations  had  passed  away. 
No  doubt  the  temptation  was  great.  I  remember 
hearing  of  the  extraordinary  dividends  received  from  the 
Tresavean  mine*  by  the  shareholders,  who  used  to 
assemble  at  dinner,  and  bear  away  well-filled  pockets. 
The  very  name  of  the  mine  is  now  almost  forgotten. 

Their  brother,  Rear-Admiral  George  Doherty  Broad 
(born  in  1829),  has  recently  retired  from  the  superinten- 
dence of  the  H umber  training-ship  Sotdhampton,  a  post 
he  had  held  for  twenty-one  years.  He  took  part  in  en- 
gagements in  the  Crimean  war,  and  received  various 
medals.  Mr.  Sidney  Broad  was  designed  for  the  Marines, 
but  the  numerous  applications  of  the  sons  of  naval 
officers  barred  out  those  of  civilians,  and  he  joined  his 
grandfather's  firm  instead. 

For  two  generations  the  Broads  were  consuls  for 
various  places,  and  received  orders  of  knighthood  and 
other  marks  of  appreciation  for  valuable  services 
rendered,  and  the  name  of  the  family  has  been  long 
interwoven  with  the  events  of  Falmouth.  One  only, 
Cecil  Robert,  a  son  of  Mr.  Robert  Broad,  Junr.,  repre- 
sents the  firm  at  the  present  time,  but  the  name  is  likely 
to  be  borne  for  many  a  day  in  our  neighbourhood. 

"  Devonshire"  isasurname  to  be  found  rather  far  back 
in  Falmouth  history,  and  no  doubt  it  was  a  member  of 
this  family,  one  Charles  Devonshire,  born  in  1783,  who 

*  Mining  was  a  very  tempting  speculation  in  those  days.  The  mine  in 
question,  for  instance,  gave  the  adventurers  nearly  ;£350>000  in  eleven 
years. 


Old  Falmoiithians.  171 

produced  various  pieces  at  the  local  theatre  of  his 
own  composing.  He  died  in  America.  I  might  add 
here  that  John  Harris  of  Camborne,  the  gifted  Cornish 
miner,  called  the  "  Cornish  Poet,"  wrote  most  of  his 
poems  in  Falmouth. 

Our  present  Mayor,  Dr.  William  Banks,  has  long 
been  linked  with  the  town,  his  grandfather  having  been 
a  merchant-captain  who  owned  a  small  fleet  of  vessels 
which  proceeded  to  and  from  Penryn.  How  many  did 
not  the  sea  attract — and  the  fine  harbour — to  try  their 
fortunes  in  Falmouth  ! 

A  few  words  more  and  these  brief  records  must  draw 
to  a  close. 

The  Coope  family  did  not  belong  to  Falmouth,  nor 
did  they  become  connected  with  it  until  1838, — but  the 
tragic  incident  with  which  the  new  Rector's  residence  in 
the  place  commenced  deserves  mention,  having  been 
related  to  me  by  an  eye-witness  of  the  occurrence. 
After  service  in  the  Parish  church  on  Good  Friday 
in  that  year  (April  15),  Mr.  Coope's  father  returned 
with  his  grand-children,  driving  a  spirited  mare,  which 
from  some  cause  took  fright  and  bolted  down  the 
Woodlane  towards  Grove  Hill.  The  fear  of  the  steep 
descent  down  Swanpool  Street  induced  the  old  gentle- 
man to  do  his  utmost  to  guide  the  frightened  animal 
towards  the  large  trees  near  the  entrance-gate  of 
Grove  Hill,  and  in  this  he  succeeded.  But  the  horse 
fell  with  a  crash, — killed  I  believe  on  the  spot, — 
and  overturned  the  gig,  violently  throwing  Mr.  Coope 
on  the  road.  He  was  taken  up  in  a  senseless 
condition,  and  died  on  the  Easter  Sunday  following. 
The  children  were  unhurt,  but  the  affair  threw  a 
gloom  over  the  place,  and  the  event  occurred  at 
the  very  time  his  son  was  reading  himself  in  as  the 
new  Rector.  A  long  inscription  in  the  church  records 
the  occurrence. 


172  Old  Fahiiouth. 

The  purchase  of  Gvllins^diine,  and  the  building 
of  the  house  there,  the  subsequent  building  of 
Highbury  (then  called  Howberry)  House,  in  the 
Woodlane,  and  the  sale  of  the  advowson, — some  thirty 
years  later — which  closed  the  connection  of  the  family 
with  Falmouth,  are  all  more  or  less  remembered. 

There  must  be  other  old  names,  and  no  doubt 
interesting  histories,  which  I  have  failed  to  obtain  ; 
But  if  incomplete,  this  chapter  will  preserve  a  few 
memoirs  of  persons  and  families  long  connected  with 
Falmouth,  and  who  are  for  the  most  part  still 
represented  in  the  town  and  neighbourhood,  Falmouth 
has  been  a  "  place  beloved  "  by  many,  and  those  who 
have  wandered  away  and  far  afield  have  returned 
again, — drawn  by  its  temperate  climate,  home-like 
surroundmgs  and  old  and  valued  associations. 


APPENDIX. 


Note. — These  notes  consist  of  items  of  history  concerning- 
places,  events  and  families,  which  I  have  come  across  from  time  to 
time,  or  which  have  been  mentioned  to  me.  They  are  therefore  by 
no  means  inclusive  in  the  case  of  family  histories.  I  have  made 
no  attempt  at  any  regular  pedigrees  nor  would  they  be  suitable  to 
a  work  of  this  kind.  I  have  often  thought  long  pedigrees  are  of 
two  kinds,  the  direct  line,  and  the  "  all  round,"  which  include  all 
ancestral  ramifications.  The  preservation  of  the  paternal  name 
only,  and  the  ownership  of  land,  determine  the  first  ;  while  the 
second  means  all  who  have  contributed  to  the  family  tree. 
Counting  back  a  few  generations  it  will  be  found  that  the  grand- 
parents spread  out  like  a  fan.  Few  are  the  families  without  an 
"  earl  "  or  his  equivalent,  and  a  churl  in  their  lineage. 

Three  things  usually  cause  another  kind  of  descent  in  fami- 
lies of  standing, — ill-conduct,  the  mortgaging  and  sale  of  land, 
and  marrying  out  of  their  class.  Again,  the  heirship  of  the 
eldest  son  presses  hardly  on  the  younger  members  of  large 
families,  who  are  often  poor,  and  thrown  out  of  the  circle  in 
which  by  birth  they  are  entitled  to  mix.  Family  vicissitudes 
from  these  causes  would  fill  volumes. 

The  omission  of  "arms"  after  any  family  record  merely 
indicates  that  I  have  no  information. 

Maps  of  Falmouth  and  the  Neighbourhood.     {Page  "j). 

The  map  I  have  given  seems  the  earliest  known,  dating  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  It  will  be  seen  that  Arwenack  House 
is  drawn,  but  not  the  Castle,  so  that  the  map  must  have  preceded 
the  building  of  the  Round  Tower.  Henry  VIII.  died  in  1547. 
The  map  includes  Glasney  College.  It  has  been  copied  from  an 
original  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  E.  Hensley,  late  rector  of 
Parkham,  Devon,  and  now  of  Penmorva,  near  Falmouth. 

173 


1^4  Old  FahiuMith. 

1580.  (Burlciph's),  a  map  of  Budock  and  Mylor  is  in  the 
British  Museum,  which  includes  Glasney,  the  Round  Tower  of 
Pcndennis,  and  Arwenack  House — still  the  only  one  built  (men- 
tioned by  Jeffery  and  reproduced  by  him  in  the  yournal  of  the 
Royal  Institution,  Cornwall.     See  page  7). 

1597.  Bnazio' s  map,  which  gives  the  river  Fal,  etc.  (men- 
tioned by  Jeffery,  and  reproduced  by  him  in  the  same  ^'V^^rwa/). 

1613,  or  later.  A  map  of  Smithike.  preserved  in  the  Manor 
Office,  in  which  the  inns  appear  mentioned  in  page  2^2.  (Also 
reproduced  by  Jeffery). 

1690.  A  map  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  W.  Tolmie  Tresidder 
(original),  of  "  all  the  lands  of  Sir  Peter  Killigrew  in  the  parishes 
of  Falmouth,  Budock  and  Mylor."  The  map  is  on  thick  vellum 
and  bears  the  date  of  1690.  It  is  in  excellent  preservation 
except  that  a  portion  of  one  of  the  two  sheets  showing  the 
Mylor  lands  has  been  cut  out — possibly  when  the  lands  were 
sold.  This  map  shows  Swanpool  with  the  swans,  the  vessels  in 
the  bay  and  harbour,  some  of  them  apparently  saluting,  the  old 
Arwenack  avenue,  as  well  as  the  church,  quays,  and  Bar  mills. 
Mr.  Tresidder  is  the  last  of  three  generations  of  solicitors,  the 
name  appearing  in  the  Law  List  of  1790.  His  uncle  was  also 
a  lawyer.  The  family  appear  to  have  been  large  leaseholders 
in  the  time  of  the  Killigrews. 

1691.  Another  map  of  Falmouth,  which  shows  a  great 
increase  of  houses,  with  the  church  and  spire  ;  also  Jennings' 
(Corker's)  large  house  with  a  wing  on  one  side,  and  garden  and 
summer-house,  standing  on  the  left  of  the  Market  Strand.  This 
was  drawn  by  George  Withiell.  (Also  reproduced  by  Jeffery  in 
the  same  yournal). 

Penwarne.    {Page  7). 

A  member  of  the  ancient  Penwarne  family  parted  with  nearly 
all  his  lands  several  centuries  ago,  and  the  last  representative, 
Mr.  Peter  Penwarne,  died  in  London  in  1836.  Apparently  it  was 
let,  as  a  Mr.  Fortescue  seems  to  have  resided  there  about  1760. 
The  estate  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Michael  Novvell  of  Falmouth, 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  (See  JVuwell, 
Usticke). 

The  Early  History  of  the  Killigrews.    {Page  10). 

Ralphe  Killigrew  was  Lord  of  Killigrew  in  St.  Erme,  temp. 
Henry  HL  ;  then  came  John  Killigrew  of  Killigrew;  followed 
by  Otho  ;  John  Killigrew  succeeded  Otho,  and  then  came  Symon 


Appendix.  175 

of  "  Arwinnack,"  the  great-great-grandson  of  Ralphe,  who 
married  Jane,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Robert,  Lord  of  Arwenack. 
His  son  Thomas  was  succeeded  by  another  Thomas,  who  in  his 
turn  was  succeeded  by  John  (died  1536),     After  him  came 

Thomas,  his  brother 

1 

I 
John,  fn.  Jane,  dau.  and  co-h.  of  John  Petit. 


John,  m.   Elizabeth,  dau.   of  Jas.  Trewynard,   first  Captain  of 
I  [Pendennis  Castle. 

John,  m.  Mary  Wolverston. 
I 

John,  m.  Dorothy  Monk. 
I 

Sir  John  Killigrew,  Kt.  (Siege  of  Pendennis   Castle),  »z.  Jane 

[Fermor. 
Sir  Peter  (Post),  younger  brother  of  Sir  John,  second  baronet 
(inherited  from  his  uncle,  Sir  Wm.  K.),  m.  Mary  Lucas. 


Sir  Peter,  Baronet,  m.  Francis  Twysden. 


George  Killigrew.    Anne,  m.  Martin  Lister.     Frances, 


m.  Richard  Erisey. 

I 


Mary  m.  Col.  J.  West. 

Frances  m.  Honble.  Chas.  Berkeley  of  Bruton  Abbey. 

Sophia  (only  child  and  heiress),  m.  Sir  John  Wodehouse, 

[created  Lord  Wodehouse  1797. 
I  must  state,  however,  that  in  the  earlier  part  of  this  pedigree, 
there  are  different  versions. 

The  Killigrews  and  the  Eriseys  (Eryssys)  are  among  the 
extinct  Cornish  families. 

The  following  entries  relate  to  the  former  family  in  the 
Falmouth  church  register  ;  commencing  in  1664  : 

Baptisms. 

1665.  March  16,  Frances,  daughter  to  Peter  Killigrew, 
Baronet,  by  Lady  Frances,  his  Wife. 

1680.  August  18,  Peter,  the  sonne  of  Sr.  Peter  Killigrew, 
Baronett,  by  Lady  Frances,  his  Wife. 


176  Old  Falmonih. 

1686.  October  12,  Peter,  son  of  Mr.  Georg^e  Killig-rew,  the 
son  of  Sr.  Peter  Killisrrew,  Kt.  and  Bart.,  by  his  wife  Anne,  ye 
Daughter  of  Sr.  John  Seyntawbyn,  Bart.,  was  baptised  8ber.  12. 

Marriage.s. 

1686.  Ap.  20.  Richard  Erisey,  Esq.,  and  Frances,  dau.  of 
Sr.  Peter  Killigrew,  Kt.  and  Bartt. 

1689.  Feb.  28.  Martin  Lister,  Esq.,  and  Anne,  dau<,'hter  of 
Sr.  Peter  Killigrew,  Kt.  and  Baronett,  Marryed. 

Burials. 
1680.     Nov.  25.  Peter,  sonne  of  Sr.  Peter  Killagrew,  Baronet, 
by  Lady  Frances  his  wife. 

1686.  Mar.  8.*  Peter  ye  son  of  Mr.  George  Killigrew. 

1687.  Mar.  23.  George  Killigrew,  Esq. 

1704.     Feb    I.  Sr.  Peter  Killigrew,  Kt.  and  Bartt. 

171 1.     Ap.  25.  Frances,  Lady  Killigrew. 

1727.     Sept.  2"].  Aile  ye  wife  of  Martin  Killigrew,  Esq. 

No  monument,  not  even  a  name — is  to  be  seen  within  the 
church  built  through  the  efforts  of  this  family  With  regard  to 
these  entries,  it  appears  that  the  second  Sir  Peter  Killigrew  was 
stated  to  have  been  a  baronet  so  early  as  1665,  erroneously,  if 
Sir  William  Killigrew  (firom  whom  the  baronetcy  was  derived) 
lived  until  1678,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Martin  Killigrew.  Burke 
assigns  the  date  of  his  death  to  the  year  1665  ;  so  also  Jeffery, 
and  if  Burke  is  correct,  the  baronetcy  must  have  passed  to  the 
first  Sir  Peter  (Sir  William's  brother),  who  died  in  1667.  In 
either  case  the  second  Sir  Peter  could  not  have  been  a  baronet  in 
i66«;,  although  he  may  have  been  a  knight  at  that  time.  Sir 
William,  who  was  a  younger  brother  of  the  first  Sir  Peter 
(knight)  entered  on  foreign  military  service,  and  was  ''  of  service 
and  support  "  to  the  exiled  Charles  IL  On  the  Restoration  a 
regiment  of  foot  was  assigned  him  in  England,  and  he  was 
created  a  baronet,  with  remainder  to  his  nephew  (or  brother),  in 
default  of  heirs  male.     He  died  a  bachelor. 

Sir  Henry  Killigrew,  Kt  ,  mentioned  in  p.  19,  was  a  younger 
brother  of  Sir  John  Killigrew  (who  married  Mary  Wolverston), 
and  apparently  an  Ambassador.  His  younger  daughter  was 
married  to  Sir  Jonathan  Trelawny,  Kt.  He  was  with  Sir  John 
Arundell  at  the  time  of  the  siege  of  Pendennis  Castle,  and  on  its 
surrender  engaged  a  vessel  to  convey  himself  and  his  adherents 
to  Brittany.     He  died  in  the  same  year. 

•This  would  be  1687  according  to  the  new  style. 


Appendix.  177 

Various  quarterings  are  represented  on  the  shield  engraved 
on  the  Budock  brass,  Arwenack,  Beaupell,  Boleigh,  Barrett  or 
Darrell,  Petit,  Cummins,  and  Trewinnard. 

Bluett  or  Blewett.     {Page  13). 

A    branch    of  the    Bluetts    were    Cornish    landowners    for 
several   centuries,    and   the   name   is  scattered   about.     Walter 
Blewett    was    M.P.    for    Cornwall    temp.    Edward    III.      John 
Blewett   of  Colan,    married   Jane,    daughter   and   co-heiress   of 
Roger  de  Colan,  of  Colan.     John  Blewett  was  Sheriff  of  Cornwall 
in  1442  ;  Francis  Blewett  was  the  second  son  of  Richard  Blewett, 
of  Holcombe  Court ;  to  whose  memory  a  brass  exists  in  Colan 
church,  1572  ;  John  Bluet,  of  Little  Colan,  was  M.P.  for  Truro  in 
1623,  and  they  were  connected  with  the  old  Devon  families.     Far 
back    Robert   Bluett   (or   Bloet)   was    Lord  High  Chancellor  of 
England  and  Bishop  of  Lincoln  in  the  time  of  William  Rufus, 
and  dwelt  in  great  splendour.    He  died  in  1122,  his  epitaph  being 
still  decipherable  in  Lincoln  Cathedral.     Thomas  Lovell  Bluett, 
Vicar  of  MuUion  (died  1834,  aged  66  years),  was  the  eldest  lineal 
descendant  of  Francis  Bluett,  of  Colan.  the  brother  of  Sir  Roger 
Bluett,  of  Holcombe.     Robert  Bluett  sold  his  share  of  the  manor 
of  Colan  in  1699.     The  history  of  the  Holcombe  Bluetts  is  a  long 
one.     They  are  one  of  the  twenty  families  in  Cornwall  counted  by 
Carew   as   being   descended   from  those  who   accompanied  the 
Conqueror  to  England.     Among  the  list  of  "  Nobiles  et  generosi 
in  kalendaris  fratrum   Sancti   Francisci  de  Bodman  "  (founded 
1239),  appears  the  name  of  "  Dominus  Walterus  Blewet,  1369," 
William  Blewett  was  Earl  of  Sarum.  or  Salisbury.    The  name  was 
well  known  in  Falmouth.     Richard  Bluett,  "  of  Barr,  near  Fal- 
mouth," father  of  the  second  Mrs.  Harris  7iee  Bluett,  who  lived 
at    Rosmeryn,   died    suddenly  at  Lifton  in    1791,  as   they   were 
returning  from  a  visit  to  Holcombe.     Owing  to  the  extravagance 
of  the  last  heir  to  the  Devon  estate,  it  was  sold,  and  like  so  many 
other  old  family  houses  in  England  the  old  court  is  dwelt  in  by 
strangers.     Richard   Bluett  was  a  manufacturer  of  blocks  and 
masts  at  Bar,  and  married  Sarah  Lovell.     He  had  nine  children  ; 
the  eldest  Thomas  Lovell,  a  clergyman,  married  Sarah  Vigurs ; 
Sarah   married    Peter   Bown    Harris,  of  Rosmeryn  (grandson  of 
Captain  Peter  Bown) ;  while  John,  Richard  and   Buckland  were 
respectively  a  naval  surgeon,  Post-Captain   R.N.,  and  Captain 
in  the  Army.     The  last  named  married  Eliza  Carden.     (Arms.) 

I    might   here   add   that  in  the  old  list  quoted  from   there 
appears  the  name  of  Aylmer  (tenth  century).     "  In  the  time  of 

n 


lyS  Oh!  Fnlwoufh. 

King  Ethelred,  Ailmar  (or  ^thelmere,  for  so  he  was  also 
called),  was  Earl  of  this  county,  who  being-  a  person  of  singular 
piety,  founded  first  of  all  the  Abbey  of  Cerne  in  Dorsetshire  in 
the  days  of  King  Edgar." 

Pknryn.     {Page  13). 
This  was  also  originally  called  "  Perin."     "  Upon  the  left 
hand  from  here,  at  the  top  of  a  creek  Perin  towne  hath  taken  up 
his  seat."     {Carew's  Survey,  etc.) 

KiLLiGREW  Monuments.  {Pas^e  22). 
The  oldest  monument  of  the  Killigrew  family  is  a  brass  in  S. 
Gluvias  Church,  to  the  memory  of  Thomas  Killigrew,  in  civilian 
dress,  and  his  two  wives,  Joan  and  Elizabeth,  and  their  children 
(circa  1485).  The  inscription  runs  "  Hie  jacet  Ihonas  Killy- 
grewe^  Generosus,  yohann  ac  Elsabeth  uxores ejus.  Et omnium, 
liberorum  sunrum  quorum  A  nimabus  Propicietur  deus  A  meti." 
In  connection  with  this  are  two  coats  of  arms,  entirely  differing 
from  the  Killigrew  arms.  It  is  not  known  with  any  certainty  who 
Thomas  Killigrew  was,  as  he  cannot  be  traced  in  the  Killigrew 
pedigree.  But  he  was,  no  doubt,  a  member  of  some  branch  of 
the  family. 

Arundel.    {Page  2^). 

John  Arundel,  the  defender  of  Pendennis  Castle,  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  George  Cary,  of  Clovelly.  His  son  Richard 
was  created  Lord  Arundel  in  1664,  but  after  two  or  three  genera- 
tions the  peerage  became  extinct,  and  the  estates  passed  to  Sir 
Tliomas  Dyke  Acland,  Bart. 

The  burial  is  recorded  m  the  Falmouth  Parish  Register  of 
Captain  John  Arundel,  March  loth,  1679;  but  Gilbert  states  that 
John  Arundel  was  interred  at  Duloe,  soon  after  the  surrender,  an 
old  and  partly  defaced  monument  to  his  memory  being  in  Duloe 
Church. 

Prideaux  and  Charles  II.    {Page  2^). 

Charles  II.,  then  Prince  of  Wales,  stayed  at  Prideaux  Place 
on  his  way  to  Falmouth.  The  people  of  Padstow  made  no  secret 
of  his  visit  at  that  time,  since  in  the  Churchwarden's  account- 
book  of  the  town  and  parish  of  Padstow,  the  following  entries  were 
made  (for  copies  of  which  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  D.  Enys)  : — 

''  1645.  To  Nicholas  Hutchings  for  orderinge  the  Prince's 
state,  8s. 

To  Ringers  at  the  Prince's  comming,  i.  4. 

To  the  Prince's  Highness  servants,  ;^5  i6s.  8d." 


Appendix.  179 

(The  amount  of  the  second  item  is  not  clear — whether 
shilling's  and  pence,  or  pounds  and  shillings). 

The  Vyvyan  family  suffered  greatly  in  estate  for  adherence 
to  the  Royal  cause,  and  Sir  Richard  Vyvyan,  Kt.,  was  imprisoned 
in  the  earlier  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  bed  in  which 
Charles  II.  slept  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  old  Cornish  seat.  The 
fine  portrait  of  Charles  I.,  by  Vandyck,  presented  to  the  family 
shows  his  feeling  of  indebtedness  to  them. 

Pendennis  Castle.    {Page  28). 

The  Castle  was,  of  course,  exposed  to  gales.  In  some  old 
documents  of  the  date  of  1700  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  John 
Enys,  headed  •'  Pendennis  Castle  and  Saint  Maweis," 
estimates  are  given  for  "repairing  severall  defects  done  by  the 
violent  Storme  the  26th  present  at  her  Majestie's  Guarrison  of 
Pendennis."  "  Seaven  thousand  slates  "  are  entered  at  £2>  los., 
and  1,000  "  oak  laths  "  at  ;^i  5s. 

In  1792  Mr.  Grenfell  offered  to  raise  200  men  for  the  Castle. 

Carew    quaintly    remarks   of  "  Pendenis,"    "  Howbeit,    his 
greatest  strength  consisteth  in  Sir  Nicholas  Parker,  the  Governour, 
who  demeaning  himselfe,  no  lesse  kindly  and  frankly  towards  his 
neighbours,  for  the  present,  then  hee  did  resolutely  and  valiantly 
against  the  ennemie  when  he  followed  the  wanes." 

Melvill.    {Page  30). 

It  is  said  that  Captain  Melvill  and  the  much-esteemed 
"  Parson  Kitchens  "  (to  whose  memory  a  tablet  was  placed  in  the 
Parish  church),  lived  at  one  time  at  Mount  Sion,  and  that  the 
place  was  so  called  owing  to  the  piety  of  these  two  residents. 
But  it  is  quite  as  likely  that  the  origin  of  the  name  was  due  to  an 
early  Jews'  synagogue.  Two  old  houses,  doubtless  the  first  built 
on  the  hill,  still  remain,  surrounded  by  palings,  but  deprived  of 
their  gardens,  and  the  pretty  hedge-rows,  and  trees. 

Falmouth  Haven,  or  Harbour.    {Page  2,2). 

This  harbour  was  well  known  to  ships  before  any  houses  were 
built.  The  following  item  is  taken  from  Letters  and  Papers 
relating  to  the  War  with  France;  1512-1513,  by  Alfred  Short, 
Naval  Record  Society,  Vol.  X.  A;pril,  July,  1512.  "The 
George  of  Falmouth  also  to  Syr  William  Trevanyon,  Capteyn  ; 
also  for  vitaylyng  of  144  (men)  souldiours,  61.  6s.,  84  Maryners, 
50  gunners  5  and  serviteurs  5,  108I.  Also  for  wages  of  the  said 
144  persons  :    108I.     Also  for  22  deddeshares,   1/2  :    16I.  17s.  6d. 


i8o  Old  Falmouth. 

Also  for  toundage  of  140  tons:  2il.  Somme  260I.  3s.  6d." 
"  Dea'ideshares"  were  payments  made  to  men  who  did  not 
exist,  and  went  to  increase  the  pay  of  the  officers  of  the  vessels. 

Mr.  Martin  Killigrew  mentions  a  "  mapp  of  the  Harbour  of 
ffalm.  up  to  Truro,  done  so  long  since  as  1597,  when  Arwenack 
house  was  the  only  one  in  the  place."  (Killigrew  MS. J 

The  Charter  of  the  Town  of  Falmouth,  1661.    {Page  34). 

The  Charter,  preserved  by  the  Corporation,  is  engrossed  in 
Latin  on  several  large  sheets  of  vellum,  fastened  together,  the 
first  sheet  of  which  has  at  the  top  a  portrait  of  Charles  II.,  and 
some  elaborate  scroll  work.  As  this  has  been  printed  and  is 
easily  accessible  in  this  form  to  the  people  of  Falmouth,  it  is 
needless  to  record  this  lengthy  document  here.  It  describes 
Falmouth  as  "  our  Village  of  Smithwick,"  a  name  which  was  to 
be  changed  to  Falmouth.  "  William  Elliot  "  is  named  as  the  first 
Mayor,  and  "  Ambrose  Jennings  (Merchant),  James  TreHahar, 
Christopher  Gwyn,  Theophilus  Willy,  Michael  Russell,  and 
William  Tyacke,  to  be  seven  of  the  first  and  present  Aldermen." 
The  first  Burgesses  were  "  Nicholas  Keate  (Merchant),  George 
Snell.  Humphrey  Burges,  Thomas  Gwyn,  Thomas  Holden, 
Nicholas  Arundell,  John  Sewell,  John  Stone,  Thomas  Tresmynar, 
Leonard  Barnard,  Henry  Emett,  and  William  Arnoll."  Giles 
Draper  was  the  first  'lown  Clerk  "  for  his  natural  life."  At  the 
foot  of  the  last  sheet  is  the  signature  of  "  Howard." 

The  grant  for  the  weekly  Market  to  "  Peter  Killigrew, 
Knight,"  from  Charles  II.,  is  also  signed  "  Howard." 

An  old  document  entitled  "  The  Constitution  of  the  Town  of 
Falmouth,"  written  on  (apparently)  thick  vellum  and  bearing  the 
date  1696,  contains  the  signatures  of  Thomas  Holden,  Mayor, 
Peter  Killigrew  (Recorder),  Edward  Jones.  Francis  Clies,  Robert 
Corker,  Richard  Upton,  De  Russell,  Thomas  Tresahar,  and 
others.     It  decrees  a  number  of  fines  as  follows  : — 

Elected  Mayor  refusing  to  be  sworn,  ;^I2.  Fines  also  for  such 
Aldermen  and  Burgesses  as  are  absent  on  the  day  of  the  election 
of  the  Mayor,  or  refused  to  be  sworn  on  their  own  election  to  office, 
also  inhabitants  of  the  town  who  refused  to  be  sworn  on  being 
elected  burgesses,  or  constables,  etc.  ;  for  the  non-payment  of 
church-rates,  street  rates  ;  allowing  refuse  to  remain  in  the  street 
over  a  week  ;  for  carrying  on  certain  trades,  except  freemen  of 
the  town  ;  for  selling  fish  outside  the  town  before  taking  them  to 
market  ;  for  going  on  board  ships  infected  with  the  plague ; 
going  to  ships  with  goods  on  Sundays  ;    keeping  taverns  open 


Appendix.  i8i 

during  Divine  service,  or  drinking  during  the  same  ;  allowing 
servants  or  children  to  profane  the  Sunday.  Aldermen  and  Bur- 
gesses were  also  to  pay  ^4  on  resigning  their  ofl&ce.  Fines  could 
be  levied  by  distress,  and  the  Mayor  was  to  account  for  all  money 
received  ;  and  finally,  persons  ■•  suffering  their  pigs  to  run  the 
streets  to  be  fined  6d.  a  head." 

The  "Act  for  the  making  of  the  Church  at  Falmouth,  a 
Parish  Church,  and  noe  parte  of  the  Parish  of  Gluviass  or 
Chappelry  of  Saint  Budocke,"  has  also  been  printed. 

QuARME  OF  Mawnan.     {Fa£-e  39). 

This  family  was  originally  of  Devon,  and  came  to  Cornwall 
in  Elizabeth's  time,  subsequently  settling  in  St.  Keveme.  near 
Mawnan.  The  Rev.  Walter  Quarme,  rector  of  Mawnan,  died  in 
1662.     (Arms.) 

The  Rev.  Edward  Walmsley.    {Page  i<)). 

The  portrait  of  this  rector,  painted  by  Opie  in  1780,  is  now  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  W.  T.  Tresidder  (of  St.  Ives),  who  describes 
him  as  a  man  well-descended,*  and  possibly  connected  with  the 
Hill  family,  as  he  had  a  portrait  of  Miss  Betty  HilLf  taken  at  the 
age  of  three  and  a  half  years,  attired  in  a  purple  quilted  petticoat, 
buckle  shoes  and  looped  dress,  which  he  devised  to  any  member 
of  the  Hill  family  if  such  could  be  found.  The  trustees  failed  to 
find  any  representative  of  the  family  in  question. 

Mr.  Walmsley' s  second  wife's  father,  the  Rev.  William  Peter, 
of  Mawnan,  was  a  younger  son  of  John  Peter,  of  Harlyn.      His 

daughter  and  only  child  J  Susannah,  married Bell,  and  died 

without  descendants.  The  aged  Rector  died  in  1795,  and  his  will 
was  proved  at  Canterbury  on  March  30th  of  that  year.  The 
following  extract  from  the  will  relates  to  the  picture  :  "  Also  I 
give  and  bequeath  unto  my  Trustees  a  picture  or  painting  of 
Miss  Betsey  Hill  (which  is  without  a  frame),  and  also  all  the 
family  pictures  in  my  Dwelling  House,  a  painting  representing  a 

*  Sir  Edward  Osborne,  Kt.  and  Bart,  (ancestor  of  the  Duke  of  Leeds.)  of  Kiveton, 
Yorks,  m.  (2)  "Anne,  widow  of  William  Middleton,  Esq.,  of  Stockeld,  Yorks,  and 
daughter  of  Thomas  Walmesley.  Esq.,  of  Dunkenhalgh,  Co.  Lancaster." 

+  In  Boases,  Coll.  Cornubs,  it  is  recorded  that  "  Miss  Elizabeth  Hill,  of  Falmouth,  by 
her  will  desired  that  a  sermon  should  be  preached  at  Christchurch,  Newgate  Street,  on 
Whit-Sunday,  by  the  Rev.  Wm.  Romaine.  Printed  1755."  The  burial  of  one 
"  Elizabeth  HiU  "  is  recorded  in  ihe  Falmouth  Church  register  on  Dec.  20,  1732. 

J  In  1739,  April  18,  the  baptism  is  recorded  of  "  Mary,  dr.  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth 
Walmesley  "  (the  first  wife).  This  child  died  in  infancy.  In  1738,  Nov.  9,  is  recorded 
the  baptism  of  '  Mary,  Dr.  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth  Walmsley.  —Parish  Church 
register.    This  child  also  died  in  infancy.    So  also  the  son  of  the  second  marriage. 


i82  Old  Falmouth. 

dead  Christ  and  a  piece  of  Needlework  representing  the  account 
g^iven  in  Scripture  of  Herod  and  Herodias,  upon  Trust  never- 
theless that  they  my  said  Trustees  shall  and  do  give  the  said 
picture  of  Miss  Betsey  Hill  to  such  person  of  the  Hill  Family  as 
my  said  Trustees  shall  think  proper,  and  shall  and  do  also  permit 
and  suffer  my  said  daughter  Susannah  Bell  to  have  hold  possess 
and  enjoy  the  said  other  pictures  painting  and  piece  of  Needle- 
work during  her  natural  life.  And  from  and  immediately  after 
the  death  and  decease  of  my  said  Daughter  my  said  Trustees 
shall  give  and  distribute  the  said  pictures  painting  and  piece 
Needlework  as  my  said  daughter  shall  order  and  direct  if  she 
shall  make  any  direction  therein,  but  otherwise  at  the  discretion 
of  my  said  Trustees." 

Bedford.  {Pa^^e  46). 
"The  Rev.  Francis  Bedford,  first  rector  of  Falmouth  in  1664, 
died  in  1675,  leaving  a  son,  William,  and  a  daughter,  Anne,  who 
married  Captain  John  James,  R.N.,  of  Falmouth,  by  whom  she 
had  a  daughter,  Anne,  wiio  married  (Captain)  Robert  Lovell  ; 
and  their  daughter,  Anne  Lovell,  married  Robert  Gwatkin,  and 
was  mother  of  Robert  Lovell  Gwatkin,  Esq..  of  Killiow  in  Kea." 
The  family  became  extinct  and  was  represented  by  the  late  Mr. 
R.  L.  Gwatkin.  "  Tregarne,  now  a  farmhouse,  descended  from 
Captain  Lovell  to  his  grandson,  Robert  Lovell  Gwatkin,  Esq."* 
The  Bedfords  were  settled  in  Devon  and  Cornwall  for  several 
generations.     (Arms.) 

Bryan  Rogers.    {Pa£^e  51). 

The  arms  borne  by  Mr.  Rogers  rcBcmble  those  of  several 
other  families,  in  Cornwall,  Devon  and  Somerset.  Very  slight 
dififerentiations,  chiefly  in  colour,  occur.  The  motto,  "  JVos 
nustraque  Deo,"  is  common  to  some  distmct  families  of  this 
name.  In  Somerset  there  are  three  families  of  Rogers,  one  of 
whom,  however,  bears  mullets  on  the  shield. 

In  Burke  s  Landed  Gentry  (p.  289)  the  following  record 
occurs;  "Richard  Keigwin  of  Penzance,  merchant,  b.  June, 
1605,  married  Feb.,  1636,  Margery,  daughter  and  eventually 
co-heir  of  Nicholas  Godolphin,  Esq..  of  Trewarveneth,  and  dying 
by  her  left  issue,  who  re-married  Bryan  Rogers."  This  must 
have  been  before  the  Jennings  marriage  (if  it  is  the  same  Bryan 

•  Mr.  R.  L.  Gwatkin  married  the  daughter  of  Dean  Palmer,  of  Cashel,  who 
was  a  niece  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  He  was  Sheriff  of  Cornwall  in  1789.  The 
name  of  Gwatkin  has  been  long  known  in  Cornwall,  but  is  supposed  to  be  of 
Welsh  origin. 


Appendix.  183 

Rogers),  but  I  have  no  notes  of  any  descendants.  Of  the 
marriage  with  Jone  Jennings  two  children  are  recorded,  Joan 
born  in  1665  ;  and  Ambrose,  1666,  who  died  in  1667.  The  burial 
of  "  Joan  Rogers  ye  wife  of  Mr.  Bryan  Rogers,  Merchant,"  is 
recorded  in  1671.  Then  came  another  marriage  with  one  ya«^ 
(Tregeagle?),*  of  which  six  entries  of  baptisms  and  five  of  burials 
are  recorded,  viz.  (baptisms),  John,  1674  (no  record  of  burialf) 
Jane  bapt.  1676,  died  1677  ;  Benjamine,  bapt.  1679,  died  1679 
Grenville,  bapt.  1680,  died  1682  ;  Bryan,  bapt.  1682,  died  1683 
Mary,  bapt.  1686,  died  1686.  The  son  called  Peter  (whose 
baptism  is  not  recorded),  must  have  been  the  first-born  of  this 
last  marriage,  as  he  is  stated  to  have  been  under  age,  and  his 
death  is  recorded  two  years  after  his  father's  decease — "  1694. 
Peter,  son  of  Mr.  Bryan  Rogers,  June  22."  Possibly  he  lacked 
a  few  weeks  of  twenty-one  years.  It  is  stated  that  Mr.  Rogers 
left  no  descendants,  and  if  his  son  John  died  young,  the  above 
extracts  from  the  register  prove  the  statement.  But  the  following 
marriage  is  recorded  in  the  Falmouth  Parish  Register,  1683  : 
"  Thomas  ye  son  of  Mr.  Jas.  Hearl,  of  Penryn,  and  Jone  ye 
daughter  of  Mr.  Bryan  Rogers,  of  Falmouth."  Was  this  Jone  of 
the  Jennings  marriage  ? 

The  following  notes  from  the  Steward  of  the  Arwenack 
Estate  (Mr.  Hall),  in  1762,  refer  to  the  family,  "  By  lease  of 
18  Sept.  1673  Certain  plots  of  Ground  in  this  Town  were  Granted 
to  Bryan  Rogers  at  40s.  rent  without  any  fine  for  99  years 
determinable  on  ye  deaths  of  Jane  his  wife,  Bryan  his  son,  and 
Jane  his  Daughter,  and  by  a  subsequent  Lease  dated  ye  day 
after  ye  other,  the  same  were  granted  to  Rogers  for  21  years 
absolute  and  commence  from  ye  deaths  of  ye  sd.  Lives,  which 
happened  ye  25  May,  1741,  when  Jane  the  Daughter,  who  was  ye 
surviving  Life,  dyed,  so  that  ye  .  .  .  come  into  hand  the  5th  of  next 
month.  Rogers  sett  up  several  buildings  on  these  plotts,  con- 
sisting of  a  dwelling-house  and  houses  for  carrying  on  ye  business 
of  Brewing  Beer,  from  whence  it  took  ye  name  of  ye  Beerhouse 
Tenement,  and  I  suppose  Rogers  who  was  the  proprietor  of 
Corker's  Great  House,  and  a  Merchant,  did  sett  on  the  brewing 
trade  the  which  did  not  answer,  for  all  the  buildings  were  after- 
wards Converted  to  Stables,  and  except  a  .  .  .  house  have  been  such 
from  my  first  knowledge  of  them,  now  at  least  40  years,  and  are 
now  a  sorry  pack  of  old  buildings.     They  lye  behind  the  Market 

*  B.  Rogers  married  a  daughter  of  John  Tregeagle. 

t  John  Rogers,  1685,  is  entered,  but  no  parentage  is  given  as  in  the  other 
cases,  and  he  seems  to  have  been  an  adult  person. 


184  Old  Falmouth. 

House."  Long  afterwards  another  brewery  seems  to  have  stood 
th(>ro,  since  in  1788  "  Mr.  Ustick  applied  for  a  plot  of  land  in  the 
Mi)or  behind  the  Market  House,  to  build  a  brew-house."  And 
the  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  brewery  of  Messrs.  Carne. 

Upton.    {Page  s^)- 

The  Killigrew  MS.  states  that  Captain  Upton  was  turned  out 
of  the  Corporation  on  his  taking  Arwenack  House,  and  that 
owing  to  a  dispute  about  the  rent,  he  left  it,  and  was  thereupon 
elected  Mayor. 

Corker.    (Page  52). 

In  the  Parochial  History  0/ Cornwall,  Tonkin  states — "  The 
present  lord  of  this  manor  is  Edward  Penrose,  Esq.  (Helston). 
He  succeeded  Robert  Corker  on  his  death,  a.d  i 731,  as  Receiver 
of  the  Duchy  of  Cornwall." 

The  following  memorandum  occurs  in  the  Manor  House 
lease-books  :  "  Robert  Corker.  By  lease  enrolled  in  Chancery, 
12  October,  1654,  in  consideration  of  ;^50  fine,  then  paid,  the 
lease  was  Jennings,  and  assigned  to  Rogers,  then  to  Tregeagle, 
and  from  him  to  ye  sd.  Mr.  Corker.  Terms  1,000  years  from  1680." 
The  Falmouth  Parish  Register  records  {Marriages) ;  1667 
"  Thomas  Calker  and  Jane  ye  daughter  of  John  Newman,  Senr., 
Gent,  married  Aprill  25,"  followed  by  {Baptisms),  1667, 
January  29th.  "Robert,  sone  of  Thomas  and  Jane  Calker;  " 
children  also  are  named  of  Robert  and  Jane  Calker,  and  Mr. 
Chambre  Corker.  Robert  Corker  died  in  1731.  The  family  held 
lands  in  Lmcolnshire  and  Ireland.     (Arms). 

Russell.    {Page  %i). 

The  John  Russell  (ob.  1734)  to  whose  memory  a  tablet  was 
erected  in  Falmouth  Church  was  the  eldest  son  (apparently),  of 
Denis  (or  Denize)  and  Blanche  Russell,  and  was  born  in  1669. 
He  lived  in  the  front  house  of  the  two  close  to  the  church,  built 
by  George  Wickham  about  1700,  and  was  the  "  common  clerk" 
or  town  clerk  of  Falmouth.  The  baptisms  of  two  other  sons  of 
the  same  parents  are  recorded  in  the  register,  Michael  born  in 
1671,  and  Denize  born  in  1673.  One  Michael  Russell,  possibly  a 
brother  of  Denis  Russell.  Senr.,  was  Mayor  in  1672.  Denis 
Russell,  Senr.,  was  also  Mayor  in  1680  and  1688,  and  apparently 
the  attorney  spoken  of  in  the  Killigrew  MS.  In  17 17  the 
following  marriage  took  place  (Parish  Register),  "  February  25th, 
William,  son   of  Denis  Russell,  Gent.,    and    Susana,    daughter 


Appendix.  185 

of  Thomas  Tresahar,  Gent."  A  daughter  of  Mr.  W.  Russell's 
married,  in  1738,  a  son  of  Mr.  Hill. 

In  Gilbert's  History  of  Cornwall  it  is  stated  that  "  Dennis 
Russell  recorded  in  a  document  still  preserved  in  the  family,  some 
data  relating  to  it  as  follows  : — 

"  In  17 15  Michael  Russell,  my  father,  now  in  the  86th  year 
of  his  age,  was  born  .  .  .  near  Caine.  His  father  had  a 
village  in  Laludier  in  the  parish  of  St.  Bower  from  whence  Lord 
Russell's  family  came.  Michael  Russell,  before-mentioned,  was 
of  Bideford,  in  Devon.  Dennis,  his  son,  died  on  January  7th, 
1732,  in  the  85th  year  of  his  age.  Michael,  son  of  Dennis,  resided 
in  Bideford,  and  had  issue,  John,  who  resided  at  Falmouth,  and 
by  Esther  Emmett,  his  wife,  had  issue  two  daughters,  one  of 
whom,  Jane,  is  still  at  Falmouth.  William,  brother  of  the  last 
mentioned  Michael  left  issue  Susanna,  who  married  Paul,  and  left 
issue  Ann  (married  Hingston),  who  resides  at  Falmouth." 
According  to  this,  Michael  Russell,  Senr.,  was  born  in  France  in 
1630;  and  his  son  Dennis  was  born  in  1648  ;  but  Michael  (the 
son  of  Dennis)  was  born  in  1671,  as  well  as  another  son  (also 
called  Dennis)  born  in  1673,  as  the  baptisms  of  these  are  entered 
in  the  Falmouth  Parish  Register;  John  Russell  (of  Falmouth) 
was  the  eldest  of  these  three  sons  of  Dennis,  and  born  (as  stated 
before)  in  1669.  Some  accidental  error  as  regards  John  neems  to 
have  been  entered,  possibly  by  the  historian,  who  misunderstood 
the  family  history.  I  conclude  the  Duke  of  Bedford's  family  is 
alluded  to,  whose  early  ancestors  were  derived  from  the  Du 
Rozeh  of  Normandy.  In  connection  with  the  Cornish  Russell 
family,  Gilbert  states  that  Hugh  de  Russell  came  to  England  with 
William  the  Conqueror.     (Arms). 

Russell ;  Bowling  Green. — In  an  old  indenture  or  deed  of 
conveyance  of  the  date  of  1701,  framed  and  hung  up  in  the 
Council  Chamber  at  the  Municipal  Buildings,  and  relating  to 
the  Bowling  Green,  it  is  stated  that  this  piece  of  land  was 
sold  to  ''Dennis  Russel  "  in  trust  for  "the  inhabitants  of  the 
towne  of  Falmouth  and  Parish  of  Budock,"  "  for  a  Bowling 
Green  for  playing  at  Bowles  within  the  same  for  ever,  and  to 
and  for  no  other  use  intent  or  purpose  whatsoever."  The 
plot  was  bought  from  Mr.  Alexander  Pendarves,  of  Roscrow, 
and  is  signed  by  him,  his  "  true  and  lawful  attorneys  "  beiug 
Messrs.  James  Bush  and  Nicholas  Davy.  An  odd  condition  is 
attached  to  it,  that  there  was  to  be  given  to  Mr,  Pendarves  "  and 
his  heires  a  Quart  of  the  best  wine  that  can  or  may  be  had  or  gott 
on   the   24th   day   of  June    for   ever,    if  the  same   be  Lawfully 


i86  Old  Falmouth. 

demanded  on  the  Spot  and  not  other  ways."'  Apparently,  if  Mr. 
Pendarves  became  hot  in  playinjr  bowls,  he  could  have  some 
q^ood  wine  on  that  particular  day  to  slake  his  thirst — an  odd  and 
feudal  condition  in  selling-  a  piece  of  land. 

Town  Clerkship  of  Falmouth  :  Rival  Candidates  in 

1734.     {Page^t). 

"  Brief  for  Killi^cw  and  others,  to  be  heard  before  the  Lords 
of  the  Privy  Council  at  the  Cockpit  at  Whitehall  on  Fryday  next, 
being  the  1st  day  of  November,  1734,  at  Eleven  o'clock  in  the 
Morning."  After  the  decease  of  "John  Russell,  Gent.,"  the 
late  common  clerk  or  town  clerk  of  Falmouth,  Philip  Webber, 
Alderman,  petitioned  the  King,  George  II.,  to  be  appointed,  and 
was  supported  by  "  Robert  Cretenden,  Lazarus  Steel,  Benjamin 
Heame,  Sampson  Benett,  Joseph  Lillicrap,  Henry  Hill  (Mayr), 
Nil  Steele,  justice,  John  Pye,  Peter  Hill,  John  Williams, 
William  Pryse,  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  major  portion  of  the 
burgesses."  The  petition  to  the  King  opposing  Webber,  and 
praying  for  the  appointment  of  W.  Russell,  was  presented 
July  II,  1734.  This  was  signed  by  'Martin  Killigrew,  William 
Russell,  Dig.  Vivian,  Michael  Gwin,  and  Philip  Nowell."  They 
urged  that  by  the  Charter  "  a  distinct  person  should  be  town 
clerk  from  the  rest  of  the  officers  and  members,"  ("  it  is  exceed- 
ing clear  by  the  sd.  charter  it  was  intended  a  distinct  person 
should  be  Town  Clerk,")  and  Webber  was  an  Alderman.  "  So 
that  if  he  behave  ill,"  he  could  not  be  dealt  with  He  had  been 
twice  Mayor.  A  long  statement  in  Latin  followed.  Affidavits 
were  made  on  Webber's  part  from  William  Pye,  John  Nowell, 
and  Martin  Davis,  and  Webber  alleged  in  his  petition  that  "  his 
late  Majesty  King  Charles  H.  did  by  his  Royal  Charter  under  the 
Great  Seal  of  England  Incorporate  the  town  of  Falmouth  by  the 
stile  and  title  of  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Burgesses  of  the  town  of 
Falmouth  in  the  County  of  Cornwall,  and  (amongst  other  privi- 
leges by  the  .said  Charles  granted)  his  said  late  Majesty  was 
pleased  to  grant  that  from  thenceforth  for  ever  one  discreet 
Alderman  should  be  Common  Clerk  of  the  said  town  who  should 
be  and  be  called  the  Town  Clerk  of  the  town  aforesaid,"  etc. 
John  Nowell  was  one  of  the  Aldermen  or  Magistrates  of  St.  Ives, 
and  also  Town  Clerk  of  St.  Ives.  And  Martin  Davis  stated  that 
William  Pearce,  of  Penryn,  was  also  Town  Clerk  and  one  of  the 

'  In  or  about  1744  this  site  was  proposed  for  a  French  prison,  but  it  appeared  Mr. 
Russell  had  not  been  p.iid  ;g?o  outlay  by  the  Corporation,  and  his  executor  (a  physician 
at  Truro)  refused  to  give  up  his  righi  without  a  consideration. 


Appendix.  187 

Aldermen  of  Penryn.  On  the  other  part,  Abraham  Hall,  Roger 
Geach  (Sergeant-at-Mace  sixteen  years),  and  Christopher  Spurrier 
("  who  came  to  live  in  Falmouth  fifty  years  ago,"  and  "  served  as 
Constable,"  and  in  other  offices),  also  entered  their  affidavits,  the 
last  mentioned  stating  that  James  Draper,  Town  Clerk  (ob.  1709), 
was  neither  Burgess  nor  Alderman.  The  brief,  very  ably  and 
lucidly  set  forth  for  Russell,  and  showing  that  a  man  could 
not  at  the  same  time  judge  and  decide  and  also  record  and  take 
notes,  is  annotated  as  follows:  "The  Lords  were  of  opinion  ye 
offices  were  incompatible,"  and  Webber  seems  to  have  resigned 
his  office  of  Alderman. 

In  the  Manor-house  documents  Mr.  Incledon  is  referred  to  as 
Town  Clerk,  and  after  his  death  in  1745,  it  is  stated  that  there  was 
a  contest  between  Messrs.  Webber  and  Russell  for  the  vacant 
post,  which  resulted  in  the  latter  being  appointed.  "  Mr.  Russell 
tells  me  that  his  friend  at  London  advises  him  of  his  warrant  for 
Town  Clerke  being  made  out  and  gone  to  Hanover  to  be  signed 
by  his  Majesty." 

The  Killigrew  MSS. — Hooton.    [Page  57). 

Mr.  Edward  Snoxell,  of  London,  was  secretary  to  Mr.  M.  L. 
Killigrew,  and  married  a  lady  who  was  companion  to  the 
Killigrew  ladies.  Their  daughter,  Penelope  Snoxell,  married 
James  Hooton,  who  came  from  Lancashire,  and  seems  to  have 
been  descended  from  a  branch  of  the  old  Cheshire  family  of 
de  Hooton.  It  was  through  this  source  that  Mr.  W.  C.  Wade, 
of  Plymouth,  who  married  a  descendant  of  the  Hootons,  came 
into  possession  of  the  manuscript,  which  was  the  property  of 
Mr.  John  Hooton  (son  of  James),  and  subsequently  of  Mr. 
Edward  J.  Hooton,  of  Plymouth.  The  writing  is  evidently 
Snoxell' s,  although  the  MS.  is  incomplete.  Other  copies  of  the 
MS.  also  existed,  one  of  which  was  owned  by  Mr.  George  Browne 
in  1791.  If  the  original  does  exist,  the  Wade  MS.  seems  to  be 
this,  as  it  is  the  oldest  known,  and  Mr.  Worth  endorsed  this 
view.     The  Hooton  family  bore  arms. 

One  of  the  Killigrew  MSS.  was  sent  to  Mr.  Abraham  Hall  in 
1741  by  Mr.  Killigrew,  who  thus  refers  to  it:  (Oct.  4.)  "This 
History  of  ye  Killigrew  family  I  esteem,  and  shall  keep  as  a 
valuable  Gift.  It  cleares  up  some  passages  of  which  I  had  heard 
in  a  Confused  manner  and  not  Agreeable  to  ye  truth  as  now 
appears  ;  particularly  those  of  ye  Destroying  Arwenack  house 
and  ye  rent  of  ye  Castle,  ye  former  sayd  to  be  done  at  >'e  then 
Lord's   request,    and  ye   rent   of  ^200  described   as  a  pension 


1 88  Old  Falmouth. 

afterwards  given  him  for  that  Service  to  ye  Crown  ;  and  soe  now 
who  and  in  what  rel.icon  to  ye  family  were  those  of  ye  Names 
which  I  meet  with  in  history,  which  I  did  not  know  before  if  of  ye 

family  or  not.     I    had  also   heard  of  Lady  J as   a    wicked 

woman  and  upon  whom  ye  supposed  haunted  house  at  Arwenack 
is  fathered,  but  could  never  till  now  hear  what  her  Crymes  were. 
The  passage  rclatini^-  to  yo  provided  escape  of  King  Charles  ye 
first  putts  me  in  mind  of  what  he  is  often  Charged  with,  viz.,  an 
unsteadiness  of  temper  which  made  him  a  prey  to  his  favourites." 
Referring  to  Erisey,  Mr.  Hall  added,  "And  from  your  history  of 
ye  Killigrew  family  what  in  former  days  was  ye  fate  of  that 
estate  also  ;  which  you  have  not  only  raised  from  almost  ye 
Lowest  Ebb  to  ye  prospect  of  considderable  value,  but  also  by 
your  prudent  management  so  brought  it  about  as  in  all  human 
probability  to  prevent  its  Suffering  to  any  degree  for  ye  present 
Generation."  In  1744  he  wrote  (July  21),  "  I  have  not  shown  ye 
history  of  ye  Corporation  but  to  a  few  particular  friends,  never 
having  had  your  orders  to  make  it  publick,  but  shall  now  and  do 
it  as  you  Direct." 

The  other  and  more  ancient  MS.  (referred  to  in  1 751)  has 
been  mentioned  in  Chapter  IV.,  and  related  to  the  old  Killigrew 
lands. 

The  Killigrew  Letters.    {Page  59). 

These  letters,  with  a  few  reservations  in  the  text,  have  been 
published  in  the  journal  0/  the  Ruyal  Institution  of  Cornwall, 
under  the  heading  of  "  Further  Killigrew  MSS.,"  and  carefully 
annotated  by  Mr.  Howard  Fox.  The  letters,  loaned  to  me  for 
examination  through  the  courteous  instruction  of  the  late  Earl  of 
Kimberley,  are  written  on  small  sheets  of  gilt-edged  paper, 
greatly  worn.  The  reader  is  referred  to  Mr.  Fox's  interesting 
article,  Vol.  XLIL 

The  Pyramid.    {Page  59). 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  document  relating  to  the 
Killigrew  monument  written  on  parchment  and  sealed  up  in  a 
bottle,  and  then  built  into  the  interior  masonry  of  the  said  monu- 
ment (about  half-way  up),  on  its  erection  on  Arwenack  Green  on 
the  i8th  July,  1871,  viz. :  — 

"  The  Killigrew  Monument. 

"  This  Pyramid  was  originally  built  in  the  Grove  near 
Arwenack,  A.D.  1737-1738,  from  the  design  and  at  the  cost  of 
Mr.  Martin  Killigrew,  (son-in-law  of  the  second  and  last  Sir 
Peter  Killigrew),  who  was  sometime  Recorder  of  Falmouth  and 


Appendix.  1 89 

for  several  years  Steward  of  the  Arwenack  Estate.  His  original 
name  was  Lister;  he  was  born  in  1666  at  Liston,  Staffordshire, 
and  whilst  a  Captain  or  Lieutenant  at  Pendennis  Castle,  under 
John,  Earl  of  Bath,  he  became  acquainted  with  the  Killigrews, 
and  upon  his  marriage  with  Ann,  Sir  Peter's  youngest  daughter, 
he  took  the  name  of  Killigrew.  He  survived  all  the  members  of 
the  Arwenack  family  with  the  exception  of  his  grand-nieces, — 
through  the  younger  of  whom,  the  present  and  first  Earl  of 
Kimberley,  inherits  the  Arwenack  estate.  The  object  in  the 
erection  of  this  Pyramid  does  not  appear  very  clear  unless  (which 
is  not  improbable)  it  was  intended  as  a  family  monument  of  the 
Killigrews.  Mr.  Martin  Killigrew  in  several  letters  to  Mr. 
Abraham  Hall,  the  then  steward  at  Arwenack,  gave  full  instruc- 
tions in  detail  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  Pyramid  was  to  be 
built,  but  said  nothing  of  the  object  he  had  in  its  erection,  except 
what  is  contained  in  the  following  extracts  from  his  letters,  viz  : 

"  St.  James's,  29th  March,  1737.  Now  again  as  to  the 
Pyramyd,  fearing  I  shall  tire  you  with  my  tedious  instructions  in 
the  case.  But  to  proceed  in  such  an  affair  as  one  ought  requires 
previous  thought  and  necessary  provition,"  etc.  .  .  .  "With- 
out having  my  foolish  vanity  exposed  I  may  tell  you,  that  in 
having  this  projection  carried  out  into  a  just  execution,  as  it 
ought  and  I  hope  will  be,  I  pretend  to  insist  that  from  the 
sheltered  position  and  durableness  of  the  Stone  (manual  violence 
excepted)  the  thing  may  stand  a  beauty  to  the  Harbour  without 
limitation  of  time,  and  you  and  your  posterity  have  the  honour  of 
the  Architecture.  Should  the  workmen  know  my  designe  of 
painting  it,  they  would  depend  thereon  for  covering  their  defects 
by  puttee  and  paint,  which  I  would  by  all  means  avoid." 

"  St.  James's,  9th  Aprill,  1737.  You  must  keep  yourself  in 
cash  on  my  account ;  for  ye  enabling  you  readily  at  all  times  to 
pay  (as  you  shall  see  reasonable)  on  account  of  this  Pyramid  ;  a 
darling  thing  I  am  never  to  see,  but  shall  have  much  pleasure 
thereby  in  liveing  to  ye  being  duly  informed  of  its  being  raised 
and  finished  to  perfection  according  to  ye  Modell  and  my 
directions,"  etc. 

"  St.  James's,  16  May,  1737.  .  .  .  I  have  already  charged 
you  in  the  most  Special  manner  and  must  now  repeat  it,  and  shall 
rely  on  your  care  therein,  that  there  be  no  inscription  in  or  about 
the  Pyramid  or  the  whole  Grove,  no,  not  so  much  as  the  date  of 
the  year,  Hoping  it  may  remain  a  beautiful  Imbellishment  to  the 
Harbour,  Long,  Long  after  my  desiring  to  be  forgott,  as  if  I  had 
never  been." 


1 90  Old  Fabiiouih. 

The  original  cost  of  the  Pyramid,  including- its  erection  under 
the  superintendence  of  John  Raijland,  mason,  was  £.\^^  is.  ii^d. 
as  appears  by  the  following-  extract  from  "Mr.  Abm.  Hall's 
account  with  Martin  Kiliij^rew  Esquire  from  Ladyday,  17.38  to 
Ladyday  1739.  By  the  gross  cost  of  the  Pyramid  erected  in  the 
Grove  at  Arwenack  as  per  an  account  thereof  sent  said  Mr. 
Killigrew  and  by  his  order  here  charged  in  one  article 
i;455   IS.  ii^d." 

The  entire  height  of  the  Pyramid  is  forty  feet,  and  its  base 
fourteen  feet  square.     It  remained  in  the  Grove  from  the  date  of 
its  erection   there   until    1836,  when  (during  the  stewardship  of 
Mr.    John   Pollard)  it  was  removed  for  the  purpose  of  making 
room  for  building  the  row  of  houses  known  as  "  Grove  Place,"  — 
at    the   same    time    the    grove    of  fine    elm    trees   which  formed 
avenues   radiating   in    all    directions    from   the   Pyramid   except 
towards  the  Harbour  was  swept  away.     The  Pyramid  was  then 
erected    under   the    superintendence   of  Mr.  Josiah    Devonshire, 
builder,  near  the  top  of  the  hill  towards  the  bay,  in  which  posi- 
tion, however,  it  never  showed  to  advantage.     Since  its  erection 
on  that  site  the  feature  of  the  neighbourhood  has  entirely  altered. 
The  Cornwall   Railway  has  been  constructed  close   to  its  base, 
public    docks    have    been    formed   only   a    short    distance   off,  a 
carriage    drive  has  been  made   around    Pendennis   Castle,    and 
buildings    have  sprung  up  on  every   side      In  carrying  out  the 
latter,  the   apparent  height  and  importance  of  the  Pyramid  was 
considerably   diminished,    it   became    almost    entirely   hid,    and 
obstructed  the  view  from  the  windows  of  the  houses  in  its  imme- 
diate  vicinity,    more   particularly  those   belonging  to  the  house 
built  by  Captn.  Saulez,  R.N.  (Lansdowne   House),  on  the  site  of 
whose  back  garden  it  stood  until  June,  1871,  when  by  order  of  the 
Right  Honourable  John,  First  Earl  of  Kimberley,  it  was  removed 
to  Arwenack  Green  in  front  of  the  old  Manor  House,  where  it  now 
stands. 

In  an  old  print  of  Falmouth  of  the  date  of  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago,  the  Pyramid  is  represented  somewhere  in  the 
direction  of  Grove  Hill  House,  an  evident  error  in  drawing,  as  it 
was  on  the  east  side  of  the  rope-walk  and  as  stated  above  had 
to  be  removed  with  the  beautiful  trees  to  make  room  for  a  row  of 
houses  wholly  out  of  keeping  with  the  surroundings.  Another 
recent  mistake  has  been  in  the  erection  of  the  excellent  Art 
School  in  a  corner  which  obstructs  the  view  of  the  fine  old  Manor 
avenue,  as  one  approaches  it,  and  the  view  of  the  harbour  from 
above. 


Appendix.  191 

Addition  to  the  Parish  Church.  [Page  71). 
In  an  old  MS.  book  among  documents  belonging  to  the 
Corporation,  there  is  a  list  of  "subscribers  to  the  Additions  to  the 
Church,  Built  1749  and  1750,"  made  at  the  West  end,  which  may 
have  included  alterations  to  the  tower.  It  may  be  of  interest  to 
give  some  of  the  names.  The  list  quaintly  commences  with 
"John  Merril  and  the  Hon.  Charles  Berkley,  Esq.,  ;^4o"; 
"  Edward  Ravenall,  Esq.,  ;^5  5s.  ;  "  Mr.  Bell,  ;^5  5s.  "  ;  "  Captain 
Brown,  £12  12s.  "  ;  "  Isaac  Cocart,  Esq.,  Mayor,  ;^5  5s.  "  ;  '-'Mr. 
Daubuz,  ;^i2  I2S.  "  ;  "Captain  Enouf,  £$"  ;  "Mrs.  Jenefer 
Hill,  ;^  10  IDS,";  "Mr.  Abram  Hall,  ;^5  5s.";  "Rev.  Mr. 
Walmsley,  £^  5s.  ;  and  among  those  who  gave  lesser  sums  the 
names  are  recorded  of  Alison,  Bown,  Boyer,  Bluet,  Bennet,  Cap- 
tain Broad,  Clark,  Clemo,  Camin,  Corlyon,  Downing,  Dickenson, 
Elliot,  Faick  (Barnet  Nielson),  Freethy,  Gwenop,  Groube,  Hocken, 
Harvey,  Hocking,  Hill,  James,  Incledon,  Kempthorne,  Laroche, 
Lilly,  Michell,  Melun,  Nowell,  Oake,  Oppe  (probably  Oppey), 
Pearce,  Pye,  Parks,  Palariet,  Penrose,  Pender,  Preston,  Richards, 
Ragland,  Russell,  Rogers,  Roskruge,  Rattenburj',  Roberts,  Snell, 
Sandys,  Symons,  Turner  (M.D.),  Tippet  (Peter),  Vivian,  Veicoe, 
Webber  (Philip),  Williams,  Woolcock,  Willison,  Captain.  Added 
to  this  is  a  list  of  sums  given  for  seats  ;  Capt.  Brown,  £1%  ;  Mr. 
Sandys,  £'j ;  Capt.  Enouf,  ;^i8  ;  do.  £-j  ;  Mr.  Daubuz,  £i?>; 
do.,  £t;  Richd.  Sandys,  ;^i8  ;  Isaac  Cocart  (Mayor),  £16; 
Mr.  Richd.  Williams,  £i(i  ;  Joseph  Hocken,  £16  ;  Thomas 
Groube,  £1^  ;  and  many  others,  including  "  Jane  Pender,  £12  "  ; 
Mr.  John  Downing,  £()  ;  Elias  Jefferys,  £^  10  ;  Robert  and 
George  Snell,  £^  ;  Francis  Tabbot,  ^^8  ;  Abraham  Hall,  £6 ; 
Mr.  Peter  Tippet,  ;^5.  "  Snoxell  "  seemed  to  have  sold  his  seat 
for;^i6.  The  whole  is  signed  Nov.  20th,  1750.  The  addition 
cost  about  ^600,  which  was  nearly  covered  by  the  subscriptions. 

The   following   notes  are  entered   in  the    Parish   Register : 

1686.  March  22nd.  '-This  year  a  Gallery  built  at  ye  west 
end  of  ye  church  at  ye  cost  of  Sr.  Peter  Killigrew  and  Mr. 
Bryan  Rogers." 

1698.  "This  year  a  Gallery  built  over  ye  north  Isle  of  ye 
church  by  contributions." 

1702-3.  "  A  gallery  was  added  on  the  S.  side,  and  an  organ 
placed  at  the  W.  End." 

1706.  "  Church  and  Chancel  paved  at  the  cost  of  Mr.  Robert 
Corker,  and  alterations  made  in  the  Chancel,  at  the  charge  of 
the  Parrish." 


192  Old  Falnwuih. 

1749-50.  Additions  made  at  the  W.  end,  at  a  cost  of  about 
;^6oo,  possibly  includinj^  the  square  tower. 

In  1759,  the  sum  of  about  £^0  was  laid  out  in  "a  table  for 
the  Altar,  a  stand  for  the  Hagic,  and  Font,  a  Canopy  for  the  Font, 
and  Piers  for  the  Church  Gate,"  for  which  nearly  £/^o  was  sub- 
scribed. In  1812-13  the  eastern  end  was  enlarged  25  feet,  and 
also  the  north  and  south  g-alleries,  and  the  new  pews  were  sold  to 
pay  the  e.\penses.  The  expenditure  amounted  tO;^i643,  -^^^  the 
subscriptions  to  about  ;^i6o3,  leaving  a  balance  to  make  up  of 
about  ;^40. 

Pyk.     {Page  72). 

William  Pye,  of  Falmouth,  was  descended  from  an  old  family 
of  this  name  in  St.  Stephens  in  Brannel.     (Arms). 

Tkesahak  of  Trevkthan.  {Page  "jt,). 
This  family  has  a  royal  descent  from  the  time  of  Henry  III. 
Richard  Tresahar,  of  Trevethan,  whose  will  was  proved  in  1563, 
married  Anne,  possibly  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  Killigrews.  John 
Tresahar.  of  Trevethan,  was  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Pendennis  in 
1628.     The  family  is  extinct.     (Arms). 

Daubuz.  {Page  74). 
The  following  interesting  account  of  the  Daubuz  family  has 
been  sent  me  :  '■  The  surname  of  D'Abus,  or  Daubuz.  was  taken 
from  the  Seigneurs  of  Aubus,  in  Poitou  We  begin  with  a  branch 
of  the  family  at  Auxerre,  the  head  of  which  was  Charles  DAubus 
(born  1550,  d.  1639)  He  seems  to  have  spent  his  life  at  Nerac, 
probably  as  a  pasteur,  and  to  have  been  succeeded  in  the  pastoral 
charge  by  a  son  and  grandson  "...  "The  grandson  was 
Isaye,  born  in  1637,  pasteur  at  Nerac.  and  his  wife's  Christian 
name  was  Julie.  He  was  happy  in  having  powerful  friends  at 
Court,  and  he  accordingly  obtained  the  King  s  permission  to  sell 
his  property  and  to  retire  to  England  with  his  family.  The 
following  is  a  translation  of  the  royal  permit,  the  original  of 
which  is  still  in  the  possession  ot  his  descendants  ;  it  is  signed 
by  Louis  XIV.,  and  by  the  younger  Colbert  (Marquis  de 
Seignelay) : — '  To-day.  the  second  day  of  July.  1685.  the  King 
being  at  Versailles,  and  taking  into  consideration  the  very 
humble  petition  made  to  him  by  Isaye  D'Aubus.  heretofore 
minister  of  the  Pretended  Reformed  Religion  at  Nerac,  praying 
leave  to  retire  into  England  with  his  wife  and  four  children,  and 
to  sell  all  their  property  in  France,  his  Majesty  is  graciously 
pleased  to  grant  them  his  permission  to  that  effect,  and  in  virtue 


Appendix.  193 

of  this  his  decree  releases  them  from  the  rigour  or  penalty  of  any 
of  his  Ordonnances  to  the  contrary.  To  which  it  is  his  Majesty's 
pleasure  to  affix  his  own  signature,  and  at  his  command  this  is 
countersigned  by  me  his  Councillor  and  Secretary  of  State,  and 
of  his  Commandments  and  Finances.' 

"  The  emigrants  took  their  departure  accordingly,  but  the 
father  died  on  the  road  between  Paris  and  Calais,  aged  48. 
Madame  D'Aubus  thus  arrived  in  England  as  a  widow  with  her 
fatherless  children.  .  .  .  "  We  concern  ourselves  with  Charles 
the  eldest  surviving  son."  "  Charles  Daubuz,  born  in  1674,  was  a 
refugee  at  the  age  of  eleven.  He  studied  at  St.  John's  College, 
Cambridge,  and  took  his  B.A.  degree  in  1693.  He  became  Vicar 
of  Brotherton,  in  Yorkshire,  in  1699,  and  was  remarkable  for  his 
scholarship  and  Biblical  knowledge,  and  also  for  his  piety  and 
benevolence.  He  died  in  1717.  The  English  families  of  Daubuz 
descend  from  his  son  Theophilus,  who  was  born  at  Brotherton  in 
1713,  and  died  in  London  in  1774.  His  eldest  son,  Lewis  Charles 
Daubuz,  married  (in  Cornwall),  Wilmot,  third  daughter  of 
William  Arundel  Harris  Arundel,  of  Kenegie." 

(The  above  are  extracts  from  Protestant  Exiles  from  France 
in  the  Reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  by  the  Rev.  P.  C.  A.  Agnew). 

"Lewis  Charles  Daubuz,  born  in  Falmouth,  was  a  Merchant 
and  Tin  Smelter  at  Falmouth,  Carvidras,  Treloweth,  and  Truro, 
for  about  fifty  years,  etc.  He  died  at  Leyton,  Essex,  in  1839, 
aged  85.  (From  Boase's  Collectanea  Corns.)  The  Rev.  John 
Daubuz  was  his  third  son,  Mr.  Daubuz  of  Killiow,  near  Truro, 
being  the  eldest  son  of  the  last  named.  A  fine  portrait  painted 
by  Opie  of  Mr.  Lewis  C.  Daubuz  is  still  preserved,  but  all  the 
older  portraits  and  the  family  records  were  destroyed  in  the  fire 
at  Falmouth.  This  must  have  occurred  in  a  house  overlooking 
the  harbour,  as  it  appears  the  ships  at  anchor  fired  guns  to  give 
warning  of  the  fire.  Henry  James  Daubuz,  who  was  in  Falmouth 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  died  in  1770."     (Arms.) 

USTICKE.  [Page  78). 
The  Ustickes  of  Botallack  were  long  seated  there. — Usticke 
married  Sir  Michael  Nowell's  sister,  and  had  two  sons,  of  whom 
Stephen  became  heir  to  Sir  Michael  and  resided  at  Penwarne, 
and  Robert  became  Chaplain  to  the  Prince  Regent.  One  of  the 
daughters  married  Captain  Peters,  R.N.,  of  the  Packet  Service. 
I  might  add  here  that  James  Macarmick,  of  Truro  (whose 
daughter  Sir  Michael  married),  was  a  merchant,  and  Mayor  of 
Truro  in  1757,  and  of  old  family.     (Arms.) 

14 


194  ^^''   l-abuouiJi. 

Sandys.    {P(Jge  79). 
A  familj'  of  great  antiquity.    Anthony  Sandys,  who  purchased 
Lanarth,  was  beUeved  to  be  descended  from  Sir  Edward  Sandys, 
fefnp.  Charles  I.     (Arms  ) 

Hkame.    {Pa^c  jg). 
Benjamin  Heame  was  for  many  years  Supervisor  of  tin  in 
Devon    and  Cornwall.     The  family  came  from   St,  Keverne.     I 
conclude    it    was   the    same    Benjamin    Heame    who    lived    in 
Falmouth  and  died  in  1777  at  the  age  of  72.     (Arms.) 

CURTEYS.  {Pa_^e8o). 
The  inscription  on  the  brass  runs  :  "  Hie  jacet  Tristramus 
Curteys,  Armiger.  qui  obiit  quinto  decimo  die  Aprilis,  Anno  dm, 
MillmoCCCCoXXXIIIo  ;  cuj  'a  i'e  p'piciet  de'  ame.'  (cuius 
anime  propicietur  deus  amen.)  The  figure  represents  an  armed 
knight  with  spurs  ;  others  of  the  name  are  also  interred  in  the 
church.  Several  members  of  this  family  represented  Lostwithiel 
in  Parliament  between  the  years  1304  and  142 1.  This  line 
became  extinct  early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

HOCKEN.  {Pa£-e  81). 
Captain  John  Hill,  R.N.,  one  of  the  Admiralty  Packet 
Commanders,  married  Augusta,  daughter  of  Joseph  Hocken 
(born  1720),  who  was  twice  Maj'or  of  Falmouth,  and  the  Hills 
early  in  the  last  century  lived  in  the  house  now  called  Rosvean, 
on  the  Woodlane  Terrace,  which  was  specially  built  for  Mr. 
Hocken's  numerous  daughters.  The  tablet  in  the  Parish  Church 
records  the  early  deaths  of  these  seven  daughters,  all  of  whom 
died  within  seven  years.  Mr.  Joseph  Hocken  married  Eleanor, 
daughter  of  Hugh  Mulfra,  Mayor  of  Falmouth  in  1778,  and  their 
daughter  Sarah  Mulfra  Hocken  (born  1774),  married  Captain 
Farnham  Williams,  of  the  Royal  Cornwall  regiment.  Both 
mother  and  daughter  were  said  to  have  been  very  beautiful. 

Bell.  {Page  83). 
"  Bell  of  Falmouth  is  descended  from  a  family  of  great 
antiquity  in  the  counties  of  Norfolk,  Gloucester,  and  Durham. 
George  Bell,  of  Durham,  was  Packet  Agent,  and  Stephen  Bell, 
his  son,  married  Frances  Lovel.  Stephen  Banfield  Bell,  the 
eldest  son  of  the  latter,  was  a  commander  in  the  Packet  Service, 
and  died  in  1815,  without  issue.  Thomas  Lovel  Bell,  the  third 
son  of  Stephen,  married  a  daughter  of  Henry  Bawden,  of  Pen- 
warnc,    Esq.     {Gilbert's  History  of  Cornwall).      The   name 


Appendix.  195 

of  Stephen  Banfield  Bell  is  not  included  in  my  list  of  Commanders, 
but  there  may  have  been  some  imperfection  in  the  G.P.O.  records. 
Stephen  Bell,  Senr.,  was  also  Packet  Agent.  Mr.  George  Bell 
was  Deputy  Grand-Master  of  the  Freemasons  in  1751, 
and  established  the  Falmouth  Lodge  which  met  at  the  old 
King' s  Arms,  pulled  down  in  the  present  year.  Mr.  Stephen 
Bell  was  appointed  Grand  Master  of  Cornwall  in  1762.  George 
Bell,  son  of  Stephen,  a  young  Naval  officer,  fought  under  Captain 
Pellew  (Lord  Exmouth),  and  afterwards  commanded  the  Medusa 
frigate  ;  a  fourth  son,  also  in  the  Navy,  was  unfortunately  killed 
in  the  explosion  on  the  Amphion,  at  Plymouth.     (Arms). 

Penrose.  {Page  86). 
Gilbert  states  that  the  Penroses  of  Falmouth  and  Gluvias 
were  descended  from  the  Penroses  of  Penrose.  A  younger  branch 
probably,  as  only  the  main  branch  is  given  in  Vivian's  Visitations 
of  Cornwall.  One  of  this  branch  seems  to  have  married  "  the 
heiress  of  Kestell,  Manaccan."  The  Penroses  were  said  to  have 
lived  at  Penrose  before  the  Conquest,  but  in  1770  the  estate, 
which  has  since  been  considerably  added  to,  was  sold  to  Captain 
Hugh  Rogers,  of  the  Cornish  Regiment  of  Foot,  who  was  Deputy- 
lieutenant  for  Cornwall  in  1769,  and  Sheriff  in  1770.     (Arms). 

Falmouth  Doctors.  {Page  86). 
One  of  the  early  practitioners  of  Falmouth  was  the  Rev. 
John  Collins,  of  lUogan,  who  went  there  owing  to  the  sequestra- 
tion of  his  living.  He  kept  a  MS.  diary,  in  which  he  recorded 
his  experiences,  the  remedies  used,  and  their  success  or  failure, 
etc.  Mr.  Thurstan  C.  Peter  tells  me  that  one  of  his  family 
informed  him  that  he  had  seen  the  diary,  and  found  it  to  be  full 
of  unconscious  humour,  with  such  entries  as  the  following:  — 
"  Did  this  day  administer  "  (here  the  drug  was  named)  "  to  old 
Mrs.  Jones  for  her  ague."  Then  next  day,  "Called  on  Mrs. 
Jones  and  found  she  had  died  in   the    night    in  much   agony. 

N.B. — Not  use again."     Mr.  Collins  was  ejected  from  his 

living  by  the  Parliamentary  forces  in  1646,  and  took  his  diary 
with  him,  recording  the  matter  thus:  "The  wicked  rebels  did 
sequester  me  from  my  living,  and  did  eject  me  from  the  parsonage 
house,  but  I,  John  Collins,  kept  the  book."  He  was  ejected  from 
1646  to  1660.  He  returned  to  Illogan  at  the  time  of  the  Restora- 
tion, and  in  1664  was  instituted  to  the  Rectory  of  Camborne, 
which  he  also  held  until  his  death  in  1684.  The  Collins  family  is 
related  to  that  of  Mr.  Thurstan  Peter. 


1 9^  Old  FaliuoitiJi. 

Fires.  {Page  90). 
Falmouth  acquired  a  reputation  for  fires.  The  fire  of  1788 
extended  up  Well  Lane  to  the  end  of  three  brick  houses,  over  the 
door  of  the  centre  house  of  which  is  a  stone  tablet  inscribed 
"rebuilt  1790."  The  same  tire  extended  also  from  Upton  Slip  to 
the  site  of  the  present  Public  Rooms.  Old  wood  and  too  much  of 
it,  beams  in  chimneys,  badly  constructed  houses,  beds  hun^  with 
cotton  or  chintz  draperies,  and  naked  candles  set  near  them, 
were  doubtless  the  causes  of  these  outbreaks. 

Volunteer  Artillery.  (Page  gi). 
At  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century  it  was  pointed  out  that 
Falmouth  was  defenceless  in  case  of  French  invasion,  and  the 
Mayor,  Dr.  Stephen  Luke  (1797),  used  his  influence  to  raise 
some  companies  of  volunteers,  which  were  enrolled  with  a  troop 
of  cavalry.  Finally  a  regiment  was  formed,  the  Pendennis 
Artillery  Volunteers,  commanded  by  Captain  (afterwards  Colonel) 
Isaac  Burgess.  In  1808  it  became  a  part  of  the  local  militia. 
In  1812  the  Corps  was  increased  to  eight  companies,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Williams,  the  field  officers  being  Lieut. -Colonel 
Hooton  and  Major  (Barnet)  Falck.  The  regiment  was  reported 
on  review  to  be  excellently  equipped  and  drilled. 

Dillon.  {Page  115). 
The  Dillons  were  descended  from  an  old  Irish  family,  which 
settled  in  Devon.  Westcote  says,  "  Pollard  of  Way  was  seized 
of  the  demesne  of  Wroughton,  which  descended  to  Sir  Lewis 
Pollard  ;  now  in  the  possession  of  the  worthy  race  of  Dillon." 
"  Elizabeth  Pollard,  daughter  of  Sir  Hugh  Pollard  (of  King's 
Nymet  in  Cornwall),  married  (2ndly),  Henry  Dillon,  Esq." 
There  were  Dillons  of  Hart,  and  of  Chimwell.  "  Robert  Dillon, 
Esq.,  married  Isabel,  daughter  of  William  Fortescue,  of  Prydeston 
(or  Preston)  Esq."  The  branch  alluded  to  in  Gilbert's  Survey 
of  Cornwall  mentions  Robert  Dillon,  grandfather  of  Robert 
Dillon,  who  commanded  the  Mercury.     (Arms.) 

BowN  ;  Harris.  {Page  115), 
Captain  Peter  Bown,  Commander  of  the  King  George 
Packet,  born  at  Falmouth  in  1711,  purchased  the  estate  of 
Rosmeryn  in  1773.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Captain  John 
Trounce,  and  was  Sheriff  of  Cornwall  in  1775.  His  daughter, 
Mary,  married  the  Rev.  Sampson  Harris,  sen.,  Vicar  of  St. 
Teath  ;  the  other  daughter,  Phillis,  married  Samuel  Glover. 
The  only  son  of  the  first  of  these  two  marriages  was  Peter  Bown 


Appendix.  197 

Harris,  who  married  (i)  Anne  Nicholls  of  Falmouth,  and  (2) 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Richard  Bluett.  He  held  the  great  tithes  of 
Budock  under  the  See  of  Exeter,  and  was  Deputy-Lieutenant  for 
Cornwall.  Of  the  second  marriage  there  was  no  issue,  but  by  the 
first  Mr.  Peter  Bown  Harris  had  two  sons,  Sampson  (Rev. 
Sampson  Harris,  M.A.,  born  1784,  died  1832,  at  Sancreed),  who 
married  Marianna,  daughter  of  Captain  William  Kempthorne 
(no  issue),  and  Peter  Bown  Harris  (died  1838,  Penzance),  whose 
daughter  married  Richard  Millett,  whence  the  Milletts  of  Pen- 
zance are  descended.  The  old  portraits,  including  one  of  Captain 
Bown,  and  another  by  Opie  of  Peter  Bown  Harris,  sen.,  are  in 
the  possession  of  Martin  Leslie  Millett,  great-grandson  of  the 
latter,  who  is  now  in  New  Zealand. 

The  younger  son  (Peter  Bown  Harris),  mortgaged  the  estate, 
which  is  now  owned  by  different  families,  the  old  house  at 
Rosmerj-n  and  adjacent  land  being  the  property  of  the  Miss 
Sterlings.  On  the  site  of  the  old  summer-house,  to  which  Mrs. 
Harris  used  to  take  almost  daily  walks,  and  which  was  the  scene 
of  many  tea-parties, — they  have  built  a  picturesque  house,  and 
the  wooded  eminence  has  become  a  charming  feature  of  the 
landscape  around  Maenporth. 

Captain  Bown's  family  came  from  Wiltshire,  and  he  is 
described  as  living  in  "  a  new-built  house  in  Falmouth  in  1751 ." 
He  attained  the  age  of  ninety-four  years,  his  decease  taking 
place  in  1805.     (Arms.) 

The  family  of  Millett  and  its  branches  are  well  known  in  the 
south-west  of  Cornwall.  One  William  Millett  was  Sheriff  of  the 
county  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.     (Arms.) 

BOULDERSON.     {PageUp). 

"  John  Boulderson,  of  Falmouth,  came  from  London,  and  was 
appointed  Commander  of  the  Packet  Earl  of  Halifax  in  1759. 
He  married  Catherine  Smith,  and  their  family  consisted  of  three 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  daughter  Catherine  married 
Samuel,  son  of  Captain  Groube,  R.N.  Of  the  sons,  John  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  the  Packet  Ser\ice  (appointed  as  commander 
in  1772),  and  married  Mary  Williams.  Of  their  children,  William 
(the  second  son)  was  a  merchant  of  Falmouth,  and  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Haydon,  Rector  of 
Thurlebear,  in  Somerset ;  Combintinhead,  in  Devon ;  and  Piran 
Uthnoe,  in  Cornwall ;  descended  from  the  ancient  family  of 
Haydon,  in  Cadhay,  in  Ottery  St.  Mary,  Devon.  Of  this  marriage 
there  were  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Joseph,  and  two  daughters. 


198  Old  Falmouth. 

Joseph,  the  third  son  of  John  Boulderson,  and  Cathenne  Smith, 
commanded   an    East    Indiaman,  and  by  his  wife,   daughter  cf 

Morley,   of  London,  had  two  sons   and   two   daughters." 

(Arms.)     Captain  Boulderson  (the  second),  bom  1741,  bought — 
or  lived  at — Bareppa,  Mawnan,  and  died  in  1831. 

Bull.    {Page  116). 

The  Bulls  were  seated  in  some  of  the  southern  Midland 
counties,  and  the  name  is  to  be  met  wth  in  the  south  and  south- 
west portions  of  England.  A  branch  of  the  Gloucestershire  Bulls 
appears  to  have  come  to  Falmouth  at  some  period  of  the  i8th 
century. 

Captain  James  Bull  had  a  numerous  family,  of  whom  James, 
the  solicitor,  married  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Mr.  Tippet,  of 
Falmouth  (and  lived  at  Boslowick),  whose  son,  Commander 
James  Bull,  R.N.,  of  Bareppa.  married  Josephine,  daughter  of 
Joshua  Fox,  of  Tregedna.  His  son  John  (Captain  John  Bull 
of  the  Marlborough)  married  (2)  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Marshall  of 
Truro.     (Arms.) 

PORTEOUS.      {Page   1 16). 
Captain  Porteous,  sen.,  was  descended  from  the  old  Scotch 
family  of  this  name.     (Arms.) 

Sh.-vres  in  the  Packets.    {Page  117). 
Shares  in  these  vessels  were  taken  up  by  private  individuals, 
usually  in  sixteenths.     Profits  from  passengers  accrued   to   the 
commanders.     I  may  here  add  that  sloops  conveyed  passengers 
between  Falmouth  and  Plymouth. 

Kempthorne.  {Page  120). 
The  Kempthome  family  has  been  distinguished  in  Naval 
history,  and  connected  with  many  old  Devon  and  Cornish  his- 
toric families.  Tonacombe  was  one  of  their  seats.  Carew  says, 
"  Tonacombe,  late  the  house  of  Master  John  Kempthome,  alias 
Lea,"  (or  Ley),  "who  married  Katharine,  the  daughter  of  Sir 
Piers  Courtney,  is,  by  his  issueless  decease,  descended  to  his 
brother's  sonne."  (See  also  Gilbert's  History,  etc.)-  William 
Kempthome  entered  the  Na\'y  as  a  midshipman  before  his 
appointment  to  the  Granville  Packet.  Only  two  of  his  four 
daughters  were  married,  one  to  the  Rev.  Sampson  Harris,  jun., 
M.A.,  Curate  at  Sancreed,  and  elder  son  of  Peter  Bown  Harris, 
sen.,  of  Rosmer}^,  Budock,  and  the  other  to  Lieut.  Miller,  R.N., 
and  neither  had  any  issue.    Of  the  two  sons,  William  entered  the 


Appendix.  199 

Navy,  and  became  a  Post-Captain,  and  Renatus  was  in  the  Bank 
of  England.     Both  died  unmarried.     (Arms.) 

Pellew.    {Page  123), 

Admiral  Lord  Exmouth  was  a  son  of  Captain  Samuel  Pellew, 
one  of  the  Dover  Packet  Commanders,  and  grandson  of  George 
Pellew,  of  Flushing.  In  1780  he  became  Post-Captain,  and  in 
1796,  Admiral  of  the  Blue.  In  1793  he  was  knighted;  created  a 
baronet  in  1796  ;  a  baron  in  1814  ;  and  a  Viscount  in  1816.  His 
family  was  connected  with  that  of  Trefusis  by  marriage.  The 
illustration  is  taken  from  a  portrait  in  Greenwich  Hospital,  which 
apparently  needs  restoration.  (Arms.)  A  special  grant  of  arms 
was  made  to  Lord  Exmouth  on  his  elevation  to  the  peerage,  of 
Naval  and  patriotic  design. 

Falck.     [Page  128). 

Barnet  Nielson  Falck  was  the  son  of  Captain-Lieutenant 
Niels  Falck,  R.N.,  of  Denmark  (born  in  the  seventeenth  century), 
who  distinguished  himself  in  a  Naval  battle  with  the  Swedes, 
and  who  married  Inger  Margreta  Scavinius,  daughter  of  Captain 
Laurids  Scavinius,  of  the  Royal  Norwegian  Artillery,  a  grandson 
of  Dr.  Morten  Lauridsen  Scavinius,  Bishop  of  Sjoelland  (Zeeland) 
(in  the  sixteenth  century),  Denmark.  The  family  is  now  extinct. 
(Arms.)  Mrs.  Falck,  as  a  widow,  accompanied  her  son  to  Fal- 
mouth on  his  appointment,  and  died  there  in  1773.  His  only 
daughter,  Jane,  married  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  in  1763,  without 
her  father's  consent,  Major  de  Woerdemann,  an  officer  in  the 
service  of  the  King  of  Portugal,  and  went  off  in  a  vessel  in  the 
harbour,  dying  a  few  years  afterwards  in  Russia,  without  des- 
cendants. The  loss  of  fortune  which  has  been  referred  to,  and  a 
strong  dislike  to  family  separation,  contracted  the  family  horizon 
in  Falmouth  during  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
shortly  after  my  mother's  marriage,  her  bachelor  uncle,  Barnet 
Bametson  Falck,  jun.  (grandson  of  Barnet  N.  Falck),  sold  the 
land  in  Budock,  where  he  had  intended  to  make  a  permanent 
home,  and  left  the  neighbourhood  to  reside  near  her.  The  Union 
is  built  on  or  near  this  land.  Shipping,  timber,  stores  for  ships, 
sails,  comprised  the  family  businesses  in  Falmouth,  but  there  did 
not  seem  much  aptitude  for  these  undertakings.  The  profession 
of  arms  had  always  attracted  them;  Niels  Falck,  sen.,  was 
attached  to  a  Danish  naval  corps,  his  portrait  being  painted  in 
the  uniform  ;  his  elder  son,  Niels,  entered  the  Army  ;  his  younger 
son,  John  Goodridge  Falck  (of  Crill),  was  Captain  in  the  Pen- 


200  Old  Falmouth. 

dennis  Volunteer  Artillery,  and  Barnet  Barnetson  Falck,  jun., 
who  left  Falmouth,  was  Major  in  the  same  corps,  and  to  the  last 
day  of  his  life  took  the  deepest  interest  in  military  manceuvres. 
Many  details  have  been  lost  owing  to  the  destruction  of  old 
documents  and  papers  re^^arded  as  lumber,  and  various  old  relics. 
My  great-uncle  Harnet  did  not  survive  his  departure  from 
Falmouth  many  years,  and  died  in  1858, — his  sister  Charlotte  two 
years  later, — and  their  remains  were  interred  in  the  churchyard 
at  Timperley,  in  Cheshire.  The  last  of  the  name,  John  Good- 
ridge  Falck,  first  cousin  of  Barnet,  died  at  Crill,  near  Falmouth, 
in  1873.  There  were  no  descendants  of  cither,  and  the  name  is 
now  extinct.     (Arms.) 

A  letter  from  Niels  Falck,  jun.,  then  Ensign,  dated  1809, 
gives  some  details  as  to  the  arduous  work  undertaken  by  the 
Allied  forces  in  Spain,  during  which  the  English  troops  suffered 
great  hardships,  being  without  proper  food  or  clothing,  and 
making  forced  marches  across  wild  tracts  of  country  without 
roads,  in  the  teeth  of  wind  and  weather.  "  When  we  reach'd  the 
Town,"  he  wrote  (Villa  Manzanna),  "  we  had  to  wait  at  least  an 
hour  before  we  could  get  any  shelter,  and  the  cold  was  so  severe 
that  several  officers  and  men  fell  off  their  legs  in  halting  at  this 
place  during  the  day,  but  marched  again  at  nine  at  night.  The 
road  was  so  bad  that  we  did  not  go  more  than  two  leagues,  the 
Pioneers  being  obliged  to  cut  through  the  snow  for  the  Artillery." 
After  reaching  Astorga,  he  wrote,  "  Dead  horses  made  the 
roads  almost  impassable.  We  marched  about  six  leagues  to  a 
small  village,  where  I  had  the  misfortune  of  losing  my  horse, 
which  was  stolen.  .  .  .  In  the  morning  we  march'd  to  Calcal- 
villas.  We  had  now  been  five  Days  without  bread,  but  the  next 
Morning  we  marched  through  Villafranca,  and  had  salt  Beef, 
pork  and  Bread  serx-cd  out  to  the  Men  for  three  Days.  .  .  ." 
On  they  still  went.  "  Our  Men  by  this  time  began  to  knock  up 
and  in  the  Morning  when  we  set  off  I  saw  them  lying  in  the 
Ditches  by  half  dozens  begging  to  be  carried  on."  Several  of 
the  officers  were  "without  shoes  or  stockings"  and  "had  not 
taken  off  their  clothes  for  weeks."  But  British  pluck  is  indomit- 
able !  "  Such  coolness  I  never  saw  !  There  were  several  of  the 
Staff  wounded  besides  our  Regiment,  and  the  moment  you  would 
hear  an  order  to  advance,  you  would  see  every  eye  glisten  with 
delight."  After  this  the  regiment  was  ordered  home.  On  the 
1st  Royals  being  again  ordered  to  the  front,  the  young  Lieutenant 
was  shot  down  on  July  22nd,  181 2,  while  leading  his  company  at 
Salamanca,  and  killed,  his  gallantrj-  being  reported  by  General 


SILVER    VASE, 
I'KESKXTliD  TO  LAI'TAIX   lilKT   DYNKLEY. 


Appendix.  201 

Hay,  in  command  of  the  fifth  Division.  General  Hay  was  killed 
before  Bayonne,  two  years  later. 

A  book  has  recently  been  published — Captain  William  Hay's 
Reminiscences,  1808-18 15,  under  Wellitigton  (Simpkin  and 
Marshall),  which  gives  similar  accounts  of  the  hardships  of  the 
campaign.  Supplies  were  short,  and  on  the  retreat  from  Burgos 
he  stated  that  "  Our  regiment  for  seven  days  had  no  rations  of 
one  kind  or  another  supplied  to  men  or  to  horses.  .  .  .  The 
roads  were  strewn  with  dead  and  dying  men  dropped  from 
exhaustion  and  fatigue."  They  found  themselves  sometimes  in 
swamps,  and  lay  on  the  bare  ground. 

The  Duke  of  Kent,  who  had  seen  active  service  in  various 
parts  of  the  world,  was  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  and  did  all  in  his 
power  to  secure  Mrs.  Falck  a  pension,  in  which  he  succeeded. 
In  the  course  of  the  correspondence,  the  Duke  dwelt  on  his  own 
troubles  and  hardships,  and  the  refusal  of  the  Government  to  do 
justice  to  his  claims,  "  although,"  he  remarked,  "  the  fairness  of 
the  same  was  admitted  by  Mr.  Pitt."  From  this  time  the  regi- 
ment was  first  styled  "  Royal  Scots,"  by  command  of  the  Prince 
Regent. 

It  seems  strange  that  any  could  have  called  a  man  so 
absorbed  by  selfish  ambitions  as  Napoleon,  who  carried  fire  and 
sword  into  one  country  after  another,  and  was  responsible  for  the 
deaths  of  thousands  of  human  beings,  and  infinite  miseries, — 
great !  He  was  a  "  smart"  general,  but  never  has  war  been  more 
legitimate  than  in  putting  down  his  lawless  raids  on  other  peoples 
and  kingdoms.  He  naturally  created  his  own  forlorn  and  lonely 
end. 

The  Dyneley  Vase.    {Page  133). 

The  inscription  on  the  handsome  piece  of  plate  presented  to 
Captain  Dyneley  is  as  follows:  "  From  the  Patriotic  Fund  of 
Lloyds'  to  [^Captain  Bert  Dyneley,  commanding  the  Duke  of 
Montrose  Packet^  for  his  Gallant  Conduct  3.nd  Perseverance 
in  capturing  L' Imperial,  French  arm.ed  Cutter,  off  the  Island 
of  Dominica  in  the  West  Indies,  on  the  2^th  of  May,  as  recorded 
in  the  London  Gazette  of  the  zqthoffuly,  1806."  He  practically 
saved  the  island  of  Dominica — threatened  by  a  French  fleet. 
This  vase  is  in  the  possession  of  the  family  of  the  late  General 
Dyneley,  who  was  a  nephew  of  the  commander,  and  the  photo- 
graph has  been  taken  and  reproduced  by  Mrs.  Dyneley' s  kind 
permission.     (Arms). 


202  Old  Falinoufh. 

Captain  Newman's  Cup.  {Pa^^e  133). 
A  massive  silver  cup  standing-  15  inches  high,  weighing  40 
ounces,  and  bearing  an  inscription,  was  presented  in  1780  to 
Captain  Charles  Newman,  commander  of  the  Carteret  Packet, 
by  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  for  saving  the  mails  at 
great  risk  in  a  boat,  and  landing  them  at  New  York.  The 
packet  was  attacked  by  four  privateers  and  lost.  Captain 
Newman  was  of  Falmouth  family,  and  an  ancestor  of  his  was 
Town  Clerk  of  St.  Ives  about  the  middle  of  the  17th  century. 

Captain  Roger.s'  Sword.     {Page  133). 

The  inscription  is  as  follows :  "  Sword  of  Honour  Presented 
to  Captain  IV.  Rogers,  R.N.,  0/ Falmouth,  in  i^oy,  for  great 
gallantry  while  in  commando/ the  Royal  Mail  Packet  Windsor 
Castle."  The  action  was  made  the  subject  of  a  spirited  painting 
by  Drummond,  A.R.A..  afterwards  engraved,  and  a  fine  copy  was 
presented  to  the  Corporation  of  Falmouth  in  1898,  by  Mr.  John  D. 
Enys,  which  may  be  seen  in  the  Council  Chamber  of  the 
Municipal  Buildings.  A  presentation  sword  of  one  of  the  old 
commanders  was  sold  some  years  ago  for  nearly  ;^50.  A  pamphlet 
entitled  Falmouth  Packet  Heroes,  by  the  Rev.  VV.  Jago,  which 
was  freely  sold  on  the  day  of  the  unveiling  of  the  Memorial, 
contains  an  excellent  reproduction  of  this  engraving.  It  is  also 
given  in  Mr.  Norway's  History. 

Captain  Rogers  was  born  in  Falmouth  in  1783,  and  died  in 
1825. 

Kirkness.     {Page   134). 

Captain  William  Kirkness  was  descended  from  the  Kirk- 
nesses  of  Kirkness  (Orkney),  of  whom  Sir  Thomas  Kirkness, 
Knight,  was  an  eminent  person  at  the  Court  of  Scotland  in  the 
fifteenth  century.  On  the  maternal  side  he  traced  descent  from 
the  old  Welsh  family  of  Matthews — originating  from  one  of  the 
ancient  Welsh  princes.  The  Matthews  family  intermarried  in 
later  days  with  some  old  Cornish  families-     (Arms). 

Green.  {Page  135). 
Fleet-Paymaster  John  W.  W.  Green,  R.N.,  gives  an  interest- 
ing account  of  the  part  his  father,  William  Pringle  Green,  took  in 
the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  when  sub-lieutenant  in  H.M.S.  Cojigueror, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  For  his  gallantry  on  this  occasion  he 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  The  Cofigueror^  74 
guns,  was  commanded  by  Captain  Israel  Pellew.  Mr.  Green 
made  minutes  of  the  action,  and  from  these  the  following  passages 
may  be    given:  "October  21st.     At  daylight  saw  the  enemy  to 


Appendix.  203 

leeward,  bore  up  by  signal,  and  made  all  sail  in  two  columns. 
Nelson  leading  one  and  Collingwood  the  other ;  cleared  for 
action.  Noon,  enemy  east  two  miles.  .  .  .  At  15  minutes 
past  12  p.m.,  the  Victory  made  telegraph  signal — '  England 
expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty,'  and  preparative  to  anchor 
after  close  of  day.  At  20  minutes  past  12  Royal  Sovereign 
commenced  the  action — answered  signal  to  engage  close.  At  45 
minutes  past  12  the  Victory  commenced  action.  At  i  her  mizen 
topmast  was  shot  away.  Royal  Sovereign' s  main  and  mizen 
masts  shot  away."  This  is  followed  by  a  detailed  account  of  the 
damages  received  on  both  sides,  the  taking  of  La  Bucentaur 
with  the  Admiral,  and  the  attempts  made  to  take  her  in  tow  as  a 
prize,  without  avail,  the  wind  blowing  hard — and  the  dismantling 
and  capture  of  La  Belleis,  and  La  Intrepide.  These  minutes 
have  never  been  published.     (Arms). 

Terrible  Voyages.  {Page  136). 
Mrs.  Bushnell  relates  that  her  father,  Captain  Hall,  of  the 
Chesterfield 'Pa.c^et,  encountered  a  sea  in  the  winter  of  1813-14, 
on  her  passage  from  Halifax,  which  swept  away  her  bulwarks  and 
all  but  three  guns.  The  very  spray  froze  in  the  air,  and  in  this 
disabled  condition  the  Packet  encountered  an  American  privateer. 
With  swift  resolve,  Captain  Hall  stood  on  his  course  with  colours 
and  pennant  flying,  and  with  the  intention — if  the  worst  came  to 
the  worst — of  boarding  her.  But  this  desperate  necessity  was 
rendered  needless  by  the  Privateer — evidently  mistaking  the 
Packet  for  an  armed  cruiser — making  off,  and  the  two  vessels 
quietly  went  on  their  separate  ways. 

Packet  Agents.    {Page  139). 
The    Packet  Agents   dated   from    1689,   the  list  being  as 
follows : — 

Daniel  Gwyn      -  -  -  .  .  1689 

Francis  Jones     -----  1699 

Zachary  Rogers  (also  Commander)      -  -  1705 

Joseph  Durden  -----  lyi^ 

Joseph  Penhallow  -  -  -  -  1715 

Stephen  Banfield  ....  1723 

George  Bell        -  .  .  .  .  1747 

Stephen  Bell       .  .  .  .  .  1776 

Benjamin  Pender  -  -  -  -  1785 

Christopher  Saverland  -  -  -  -  1810 

Thomas  Moore  Musgrave  -  -  -  1821 

William  Gay      -  -  .  .         1824  to  1845 


204  ^'^^  Fahiiouth. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  post-mistress  deputy  as  early  as 
the  1 8th  century  (p.  84).  Before  the  time  of  Stephen  Bell,  the 
local  mails  were  probably  insignificant,  and  all  were  dispensed  from 
one  office.  Later  the  offices  became  separate.  I  have  derived  the 
above  list,  and  also  the  information  on  p.  84,  relating  to  the 
Falmouth  agencies,  from  the  General  Post  Office  in  London. 

Gay.    {Pa^e  139). 

Just  a  few  can  still  remember  my  grandfather's  tall,  upright 
form,  handsome  white  head,  and  positive  way  of  speaking.  No 
doubt  it  was  his  reliable  character  and  decided  presence  which 
attached  Sir  Henry  Freeling  (then  the  Secretary,  G.P.O.)  to  him 
as  long  as  he  lived,  and  created  a  life-long  friendship  between 
the  two  families.  Reserved  by  nature,  he  would  take  early 
morning  walks  with  his  dog  Pat,  a  combative  animal,  the  hero 
of  many  fights,  or  spend  a  leisure  hour  listening  to  the  caw  of 
the  rooks  in  the  rope-walk  adjacent  to  his  house — now  the  depot 
of  the  Artillery  Volunteers — or  bury  himself  in  a  book.  The  friend 
he  valued  most  was  Captain  Kirkness,  and  their  talk  over  the 
Packets  must  have  been  good  to  hear,  if  it  could  only  have  been 
preserved.  No  man  was  more  devoted  to  his  official  duties.  The 
agitation  with  regard  to  Southampton  in  1834  influenced  the 
authorities,  and  some  seven  or  eight  years  afterwards  my  grand- 
father received  an  official  intimation  that  changes  were  about  to 
take  place  which  would  oblige  the  Department  to  abolish  the 
agency  at  Falmouth,  but  that  in  recognition  of  this  fact  he  would 
be  placed  on  the  retired  list  on  full  pay.  The  arrival  of  the  letter 
was  well  remembered.  My  grandfather  had  previously  given  a 
good  report  of  Falmouth,  stating  that  he  had  never  known  any 
delay  in  the  starting  or  arrival  of  the  Packets,  and  many  others 
pointed  out  the  advantages  of  the  good  harbour  far  west,  but 
other  considerations  were  more  powerful,  and  a  memorial, 
supported  by  all  these  favourable  reports,  "  addressed  by  the 
Inhabitants  to  the  Lords  of  Her  Majesty's  Treasury,"  in  1843, 
proved  of  no  avail.  One  witness  in  behalf  of  Falmouth,  a  naval 
post-captain,  stated  that  it  was  "  a  high  average  to  give  a  steamer 
8  miles  an  hour" — and  that  this  "would  be  the  maximum  of 
those  they  are  building  now  ;  the  very  best  that  they  can  get"  1 

Devotion  to  official  duties  was  a  trait  inherited  by  his  son — 
my  father,  William  Gay,  Jun. — who  was  born  on  the  Green  Bank 
Terrace  in  1812,  and  educated  at  the  Classical  and  Mathematical 
School,  where  he  won  several  prizes.  The  latter  left  Falmouth 
early  in  life  as  he  was  appointed  to  the  Surveyor's  Department  of 


Appendix.  205 

the  G.P.O.,  and  became  a  few  years  after   Surveyor  of  South 
Scotland,  and  later  of  other  districts,  and  his  arduous  work  and 
comparatively  early  death  at  the  age  of  55,*  left  him  little  leisure 
for  study,  which  he  loved,  and  no  leisure  to  exercise  gifts  with 
brush  and  pen  which  would  have  become  the  interests  of  his  later 
years.     The  only  surviving  member  of  his  family,  his  life  was,  of 
course,  severed  from  Falmouth.     In  his  day  some  ten  or  a  dozen 
surveyors  were  at  the  head  of  the  Surveyor's  Department,  each 
assisted  by  a  small  staff,  superintending  a  postal  district  of  many 
counties.     As  a  child  I  remember  seeing  the  scores  of  pigeon- 
holes, ranging  to  the  ceiling,  each  labelled,  and  crammed  with 
official   papers    in    my  father's   private    office.      Few   know   the 
heavy   nature   of  the   work    entailed — especially   in   the   manu- 
facturing centres — the  supervision  of  all  post-offices,  etc.,  large 
and  small,  the  continual  reports  to  headquarters,   calculations 
and   statistics,    the   arrangements  with    steamship  and  railway 
companies,  and  the  frequent  accelerations  of  mails  to  suit  the 
public  demand — the  necessity  for  good  judgment  in  advocating 
increased  expenditure  for  increased  convenience,  and  weighing 
public    cost   against   public    requirements.      There    must    have 
been,    of  course,    much    more — of   which   I    never   heard.      In 
none   of  these   things   did   my   father   swerve   or   fail  —  I   think 
he  worked  too  hard.     And  he  certainly  died  too  early  to  reap 
all  the  rewards  that  might  have  been  his,  and  to  have  enjoyed 
at  last  a  period  of  rest.     It  was  due,  I  believe,  to  his  initiative 
that  the   provincial   postmen   were   placed    in    uniform,   pattern 
coats,   etc.,  having  been  made  up  by  his   own  tailor  and  sent 
to  St.  Martin's-le-Grand.      They  are  now  in  use  in  England  and 
abroad.     When  a  man  dies  whose  labours  are  well-known  in  the 
town  in  which  he  resides,  many  local  tributes  of  affection  and 
respect  are  offered  in  the  press  and  otherwise  by  those  who  have 
come  in  contact  with  him,  but  the  leading  officials  of  a  depart- 
ment, whose  work  is  unknown  to  the  public,   and   who   are   in 
contact  with  persons  of  all  classes  scattered  over  large  areas — 
drop  many  a  time   in  harness — almost  silently.     This  was  the 
case  with  my  father,  who  had,  by  his  considerate  and  kindly  ways, 
won  the  esteem  and  affection  of  all  with  whom  his  duties  had 
brought  him  in  contact,  and  whose  unflagging  zeal  and  ability  in 
the  service,  and  unswerving  rectitude,  though  known  to  so  many, 
remain    unrecorded.     Few   will   think   me  tedious  therefore  if  I 
refer  to  him  at  last — some  35  years  after  he  has  passed  away. 

*  He  died  at  Cheltenham  in  1868,  having  selected  it  as  a  place  of  residence  for  a 
time  on  account  of  my  brother,  who  was  sent  to  the  College, 


2o6  Old  Faliiioiifli. 

Lookinq;-  back  I  can  see  that  official  life  had  its  charm  for  him, 
and  the  habit  of  expressing-  everythint,'^  in  a  few  words  is  one  of 
use  in  most  lives.     (Arms.) 

The  Gays  or  Gayes  have  for  many  centuries  been  seated  in 
the  south  of  Enj^land,  and  the  name  is  to  be  found  across  the 
Atlantic,  as  well  as  scattered  about  in  English  southern  counties. 
In  Devon  and  the  south-eastern  counties  the  main  branches  of 
the  Gays  have  long  dwelt.  Several  families  of  the  name  exist 
bearing  slightly  differentiated  and  also  varied  arms. 

The  Later  Days  of  Arwenack  Manor  House.    {Pa^e  140). 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  afterwards, 
Arwenack  House  had  various  tenants,  among  them  Mr.  Pellew 
(Collector  of  the  Customs),  Mr.  Tippet,  and  Captain  James  Bull. 
In  1815,  the  house  being  divided  into  two  parts,  Mr.  Lake,  the 
banker,  and  Mr.  James  Bull,  the  attorney,  both  lived  there,  and 
still  later,  Captain  William  King,  R.N.,  maternal  grandfather  of 
Dr.  King  BuUmore,  the  present  tenant.  An  old  cross  overgrown 
with  ivy  stands  near  the  entrance  to  the  part  on  the  right, — 
possibly  the  cross  which  originally  stood  at  "  Cross  Roads." 
Captain  Bull  seems  to  have  gone  there  some  eight  or  ten  years 
after  his  appointment  to  a  command  in  the  Packet  Service  in 
1778.  It  was  about  this  period  that  the  demolition  of  the  old 
ruined  tower  with  a  battlemented  wall  attached  to  it,  took  place, 
new  additions  being  made.  For  this  the  tenant  for  the  time 
being  was  criticised,  but  it  does  not  seem  that  he  was  more  to 
blame  than  the  agents  or  the  owners  of  the  old  property,  and  the 
event  seems  to  show  that  interest  on  the  part  of  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  family  had  at  that  time  greatly  diminished.  Four 
stone  eagles  are  preserved  at  Trewince,  said — whether  correctly 
or  not  I  cannot  say — to  have  been  long  ago  brought  from  Arwen- 
ack. All  Falmouthians  are  glad  to  know  that  the  Earl  of 
Kimberley  strictly  preserves  all  that  is  left  of  the  ancient 
dwelling,  and  that  no  material  alteration  is  permitted. 

BULLMORE.     {Pa£-e  140). 

The  first  member  of  this  family  came  to  Falmouth  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  acquired  a  considerable 
fortune  in  shipping,  which  he  invested  in  land,  some  of  which  is 
still  owned  by  his  descendants.     He  died  in  1844,  aged  74. 

Frederick  Charles  BuUmore,  born  in  1808,  and  a  son  of  the 
above,  was  a  surgeon  of  repute  in  this  part  of  the  county,  and 
married  a  daughter  of  Captain  William  King,  R.N.  (Admiralty 


Appendix.  207 

Agent  of  the  Packet  Sendee,  and  Commander  of  H.M.S. 
Astrea),  who  resided  at  Arwenack.  The  Astrea  lay  between 
the  Green  Bank  and  Flushing  quays.  Mr.  Bullmore  died  in 
1896,  at  the  age  of  88  years. 

William  Henry  Bullmore,  M.R.C.S.  Eng.,  his  brother,  was 
bom  at  Falmouth  in  1801,  and  died  at  Truro  in  1863.  He  was 
Surgeon   to   the    Royal   Miners   Artillery   Militia    for   seventeen 

years. 

The  well-known  Henry  Charlton  Bastian,  M.D.,  F.R.C.P., 
F.R.S.,  author  of  various  scientific  works,  was  the  son  of  James 
Bastian,  of  Truro,  who  died  in  San  Francisco  in  1849,  and  who 
married  Charlotte,  third  daughter  of  William  Bullmore,  of 
Falmouth. 

William  King  Bullmore,  M.D.,  and  M.R.C.S.  (son  of 
Frederick  C.  Bullmore),  has  held  various  offices  in  Falmouth, 
among  them  Surgeon  to  the  troops  at  Pendennis  Castle,  Surgeon- 
Captain  ist  Cornwall  Volunteer  Artillery,  Medical  Officer  of 
Health,  etc.,  and  is  the  author  of  an  article  "  On  the  Verlebrata 
of  Cornwall." 

The  Bullmores  are  descended  from  the  old  north  country 
family  of  Bulmer.     (Arms.) 

Brougham.    {Page  140). 

Matthew  Brougham,  of  the  Excise,  left  Warrington  for  Fal- 
mouth in  1807.  He  was  descended  from  the  old  family  of 
Brougham,  of  Brougham  Hall,  Westmoreland.  His  son  Stephen 
was  the  well-know^n  surgeon  in  Falmouth,  and  was  connected 
with  the  celebrated  statesman,  Lord  Brougham.     (Arms.) 

GUPPY.     {Page  140). 

Dr.  T.  S.  Guppy  was  a  Devonshire  man,  his  family  having 
resided  at  Farway  from  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
To  this  branch  belonged  the  Guppys,  of  Sidbury  "Castle"  (now 
Sidburj'  Manor),  early  in  the  last  century.  Dr.  Guppy  inherited 
this  place  after  his  mother's  decease,  but  being  unable  to  live 
there,  he  let  it,  and  it  was  unfortunately  burnt  down  some  forty 
years  ago,  after  which  the  estate  was  sold  to  Sir  Charles  Cave. 
The  origin  of  the  name  is  not  clear,  as  it  existed  in  the  counties 
of  Somerset  and  Dorset  before  the  Guppys  of  Huguenot  descent 
(Goupe),  came  over  from  the  Walloon  country-.  The  family 
in  question  is  descended  from  a  Wiltshire  family  called  Guphay, 
resident  there  as  early  as  the  fourteenth  century.     (Arms.) 


208  Old   Fdlilioiilll. 

Henry  Brougham  Guppy,  M.B.  Kdin.,  and  F.R.S.  Edin., 
son  of  the  late  Dr.  Guppy,  of  Falmouth,  is  the  author  of  a 
standard  work,  VV/e  Solomon  Islands  and  their  Nativa,  and 
also  Geology  of  the  Solomon  Islands,  Scci/ig  Darkly,  and 
Homes  of  Family  Names.  He  has  been  at  work  for  some  years 
on  a  new  volume  relating  to  the  Pacific  Islands.  He  is  also 
author  of  a  memorial  illustrated  volume  published  by  Virtue  and 
Co.,  relating  to  his  brother  William  Good  Guppy,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two,  of  fever,  at  Erzeroum,  in  the  Russo- 
Turkish  War  of  1877.  He  went  out  there  as  one  of  Lord 
Blantyre's  surgeons.  A  tablet  to  his  memory  and  that  of  his 
brother,  Lieut.  T.  S.  Guppy,  R.N.  (also  aged  twenty-two),  who  was 
drowned  in  the  wreck  of  H.M.  Gunboat  Wasp,  off  the  coast  of 
Ireland  in  1884,  has  been  placed  on  the  north  wall  of  the  Parish 
Church. 

The  Packet  Actions.     {Page  141). 

The  following  extract,  which  will  give  a  brief  outline  of  the 
most  remarkable  of  the  Packet  actions,  is  taken  from  a  notice  of 
Mr.  A.  H.  Norway's  History,  which  I  sent  to  the  Falmouth 
/'ac.^'e/ of  February  ist,  1896: — "The  Packet  Commanders  were 
supposed  to  be  men  of  peace,  cruising  quietly  over  the  seas  in 
charge  of  the  mails,  but  the  circumstances  were  such  during  the 
French  and  American  wars,  that  they  had  to  fight  their  way  to 
their  ports  of  destination,  and  were  continually  in  risk  of  capture, 
or  an  engagement  in  which  the  enemy  might  muster  three  or 
four  men  to  one,  with  a  far  superior  force  of  arms.  Picture  a 
Packet  of  perhaps  170  tons,  armed  with  only  six  or  eight  guns 
and  some  twenty  or  thirty  men,  challenged  by  a  Privateer  carry- 
ing twenty  guns  and  one  hundred  men,  and  coming  out  of  the 
fray  victorious  !  Yet  such  actions  frequently  took  place,  and  the 
Falmouth  men,  led  by  their  intrepid  captains,  fought  with  true 
English  courage.  Long  ago  they  were  engaged  in  this  ocean 
warfare.  There  are  dim  allusions  to  sea-fights  which  occurred 
so  far  back  as  1740  and  1759,  but  all  details  are  lost  in  the  mists 
of  time.  To  recount  the  half  of  these  actions  is  impossible;  for 
the  story  many  of  Mr.  Norway's  pages  must  be  studied  ;  it 
suffices  to  recall  such  instances  as  Captain  Kempthorne,  of  the 
Granville,  who  fought  in  1777  three  American  privateers,  all 
superior  in  force  to  the  Packet,  and  beat  them  off ;  the  master  of 
the  Portland,  Mr.  Taylor,  who  was  engaged  by  an  armed 
schooner  off  Guadeloupe,  in  1796,  and  repulsed  her  with  great 
gallantry,  himself  falling,  shot  through  the  heart,  in  the  moment 
of  victory  ;  Captain  Skinner,  of  the  Princess  Royal,  who  defeated 


Appendix.  209 

with  only  three  guns  a  well-armed  Privateer  ;  the  signal  courage 
of  Pasco,  the  Corrishrnan,  who,  after  Mr.  Curtis  had  been  killed, 
took  the  command,  and  lashed  the  Atalanta  to  the  Packet 
Antelope' s  fore-shrouds,  and  made  the  enemy  cry  for  mercy  ; 
the  defence  of  Dominica  against  a  French  flotilla  by  Captain 
Dyneley,  of  the  Duke  of  Montrose,  who,  risking  his  all  in  the 
venture,  took  troops  on  board,  captured  the  two  most  formidable 
vessels  of  the  enemy,  and  saved  the  island, — with  the  death  of 
the  brave  captain  in  a  subsequent  action  ;  and  also  the  later 
achievements  of  Captain  Anthony,  of  the  Cornwallis ;  Captain 
Norway,  of  the  Montagu,  who  was  killed  in  a  desperate  fight 
with  an  American  Privateer ;  Mr.  Rogers,  of  the  Windsor 
Castle ;  Captain  Yescombe,  of  the  Kmg  George  ;  Captain  John 
Bull,  of  the  Marlborough,  who  fought  an  action  in  1810  within 
sight  of  Pendennis  Castle  with  a  French  Privateer,  and  came  off 
victor;  and,  again.  Captain  Moorsom,  of  the  Princess  Amelia, 
who  fought  with  great  courage  and  was  killed  in  1812  ;  Captain 
Cock,  of  the  Townshend,  who  in  the  same  year  held  his  own 
against  two  American  Privateers  until  the  Packet  was  in  a 
sinking  condition,  and  fought  a  second  time  successfully  on  the 
homeward  voyage  ;  and  Captain  James,  of  the  Hinchinbrooke, 
who  achieved  a  similar  victory,  though  far  inferior  in  force  to  the 
American  Privateer  which  engaged  him, — to  which  maybe  added 
many  another  tale  of  brave  defence  of  English  life  and  pro- 
perty. .  .  .  As  the  author  observes,  the  service  was  marked 
by  '  a  whole  series  of  naval  actions,  of  which  the  Post  Office  was 
once  proud,  and  of  which  Cornishmen  are  proud  still,  although 
the  details  of  most  are  forgotten,'  adding  elsewhere  that  '  the 
navy  itself  could  have  produced  no  better  seamen  or  more  gallant 
officers.'  The  story  of  these  and  many  other  engagements  is 
given  in  the  chapters  relating  to  the  American  Wars,  and  the 
efforts  of  Napoleon  to  destroy  English  commerce  by  intercepting 
the  mails." 

The  peace  of  1815  closed  for  the  most  part  this  fighting  era 
of  the  Packet  Service,  but  the  leading  actions  attracted  attention 
at  the  time,  and  prints  were  published  of  some  of  these,  which 
have  now  become  scarce. 

The  Rev.  W.  Jago  states  that  during  the  "Three  Years 
War"  of  1812-14,  "thirty-two  actions  were  fought  between 
Falmouth  Packets  and  privateers,  which  resulted  in  seventeen 
victories  for  the  Cornish  against  superior  numbers  of  men  and 
guns,  while  the  remainmg  contests  in  which  also  great  numbers 
lost  their  lives,  were  in  respect  to  valour,  as  glorious." 

16 


2IO  Old  Falmouth. 

The  Packet  Memorial.     {Page  142). 

This  memorial  was  erected  at  Falmouth  through  the  efforts 
of  a  committee  formed  immediately  after  a  lecture  of  Mr.  Arthur 
Norway's  (the  author  of  The  Post  Offi-ce  Packet  Service,  Mac- 
millan  and  Co.,  1895),  delivered  at  the  Polytechnic  Hall  at  the 
time  of  the  annual  exhibition  in  1896.  In  fact  the  suggestion  was 
thrown  out  by  Mr.  Norway.  The  chairman  of  the  committee  was 
Mr.  John  D.  Enys,  who  gave  generous  support  to  its  efforts,  and 
Major  Christoe,  who  had  been  instrumental  in  its  formation, 
became  an  energetic  honorary  secretary.  Its  members  consisted 
of  the  late  Mrs.  Bull,  and  Captain  George  Bull  (of  Marlborough), 
Mrs.  M.  V.  Bull  (of  Roscarrack),  Mr.  W.  Naylor  Carne,  Mrs. 
Christoe,  Mr.  Howard  Fox,  Mr.  Nathaniel  Fox,  the  Rev.  W. 
Jago,  the  late  Mr.  Charles  Norrington  (of  Plymouth),  Mr.  Arthur 
Norway  (of  London),  Mr.  W,  H.  Tresidder,  the  late  Mr.  Thomas 
Webber,  and  myself.  Mr.  R.  M.  Tweedy  was  honorary  treasurer. 
Nearly  all  these  were  descendants  or  relations  of  former  Packet 
Commanders,  and  were  able  to  trace  out  various  scattered  families, 
connected  with  the  old  service.  A  sum  of  about  £2'^o*  was  raised, 
and  in  November,  1898,  the  memorial,  consisting  of  a  granite 
obelisk  and  pedestal,  38  feet  in  height,  and  erected  on  a  turf 
bank,  surrounded  by  ornamental  iron  railings,  was  unveiled  by 
Admiral  Sir  E.  R.  Freemantle,  K.C.G.,  (Commander-in-chief  of 
the  Western  District),  amid  a  stirring  scene.  The  Mayor  and 
Corporation,  clergy,  and  officers  of  the  navy  and  army,  with 
detachments  were  present,  the  town  was  bedecked  with  flags,  and 
a  torpedo-flotilla  lay  in  the  harbour,  specially  despatched  from 
Portland  in  honour  of  the  occasion.  The  monument  bears  the 
following  simple  inscription  :  "  Erected  by  public  subscription^ 
A.n.  1898,  io  the  memory  of  the  gallant  offi-cers  and  men  of 
H.M.  Post  Office  Packet  Service  sailing  from  Falmouth.,  1688- 
1852."  A  luncheon  followed  at  the  Municipal  Buildings,  at 
which  100  guests  were  present.  Several  old  packetsmen  stood  in 
front  of  the  monument,  and  were  likewise  entertained.  (A  few 
"veterans,"  originally  seamen  in  the  Packet  Service,  were  still 
surviving  in  1898,  viz.,  W.  Martin  (of  the  Crane),  W.  Doconing 
{Firefly),  Richard  Hosking  {Briseis),  W.  Wilmot  {Penguin), 
James  Kingston  {Star),  J.  Clat worthy  {Swift),  and  Richard 
Michels  {Nightingale),  and  J.  W.  Collins  {Express),  sketches  of 
the  two  last  having  been  given  in  the  Western  Weekly  News  of 
December  3rd,  1898,  as  Falmouth  octogenarians.) 

•  The  a-tual  cost  was  about  ;£300. 


Appendix.  211 

A  full  list  of  the  Packet  Commanders  (under  G.P.O.  and 
Admiralty  management),  which  I  prepared  from  details  furnished 
by  the  General  Post  Office  and  the  Public  Record  Office,  was 
printed  and  framed,  and  hung  up  in  the  Free  Library.  Copies 
of  this  in  pamphlet  form,  with  notes  were  also  printed,  while  the 
Rev.  W.  Jago's  pamphlet  {The  Packet  Heroes)  gave  exactly 
the  right  information  on  the  subject,  and  was  distributed  to 
various  persons  on  the  occasion. 

Packet  Trading.  {Page  142). 
The  practice  of  trading  had  been  coeval  with  the  Packet 
Service,  and  no  doubt  produced  some  abuses.  After  1793,  Mr. 
Norway  states  that  "  the  Agent  was  forbidden  to  hold  shares  in 
any  of  the  Packets,  or  to  deal  in  naval  stores,  or  to  have  any 
pecuniary  relations  of  any  sort  with  the  Commanders.  He  was 
forbidden  to  accept  fees  from  them,  and  he  was  made  aware  that 
his  authority  over  them  having  now  been  disentangled  from  the 
mesh  of  conflicting  interests  which  had  strangled  it  during  past 
years,  was  to  be  exerted  in  future  in  the  public  interest  alone." 
And,  "  at  the  end  of  1799,  or  in  the  first  weeks  of  1800,  an  order 
was  issued  prohibiting  the  private  trade  upon  the  West  Indian 
and  American  packets." 

Mr.  Pellew,  Collector  of  the  Customs  at  Falmouth,  estimated 
the  Packet  cargoes  at  the  value  of  "  four  millions  a  year."  The 
whole  town  engaged  in  this  trading— a  natural  result  of  oppres- 
sive legislation  and  tempting  opportunity. 

Journal  R.  I.  Cornwall,  1892. 

Exhibition  of  Packet  Relics  at  Falmouth  in  1896. 

{Page  141). 
Several  Falmouth  residents  and  others  contributed  to  this 
collection,  whose  names  included  Broad,  Bull,  Bullocke,  Carne, 
Christoe,  Cox,  Dennis,  Downing,  Dunstan,  Ford,  Fox,  Francis, 
Gay,  Gill,  Goodfellow,  Jago,  Lowry,  Morphew,  Passingham, 
Pender,  Porteous,  Punnett,  Tilly,  Wade,  Krabbe  Williams,  etc. 
The  portraits  and  miniatures  included  (Captains)  Bull,  Bullocke, 
Downey,  Goodfellow,  Goodridge,  James,  Norway,  Norrington, 
Passingham,  Pedersen,  Porteous,  and  Tilly,  and  also  Dr.  Krabbe, 
and  Mr.  Saverland. 

The  Mail  Coach  Routes.     {Page  143). 
One  of  the  coach  routes  was  very  similar  some  forty  years 
later,  the  mail  coach  from  Falmouth  (leaving  at  7  a.m.),  passing 


212  Old  Fahuouiti. 

through  Truro,  St.  Austell,  Lostwithiel,  Liskcard,  Torpoint, 
Devonport,  Erme  Bridge,  Totnes,  Newton,  Chudleigh  (at 
9.39  p.m.),  leaving  Exeter  at  8.15  a.m.,  and  passing  through 
Collumpton,  White  Ball,  Taunton,  Bridgwater,  Street,  Wells, 
Old  Down,  Bath,  Alworth,  Devizes,  Marlborough,  Newbury, 
Theale,  Maidenhead,  Hounslow,  and  reaching  London  ("Spread 
Eagle  "  or  "  Swan  with  Two  Necks  ")  about  6  a.m.  the  following 
morning.  The  speed,  of  course,  was  greatly  accelerated,  the 
journey  of  307  miles  being  accomplished  in  less  than  fifty  hours, 
including  the  stoppage  at  Exeter  for  the  night.  The  ''  Quick- 
silver "  coach  ran  in  the  forties.  Another  route  (from  Falmouth 
at  7  p.m.),  passed  through  Truro,  Bodmin,  Launceston,  Oke- 
hampton,  Exeter  (10  a.m.  next  morning)  Honiton,  Axminster, 
Eridport,  Dorchester,  Blandford,  Woodyates,  Salisbury,  Overton, 
Hartfordbridge,  Bagshot,  Staines  (c^.26  a.m.  next  morning),  and 
reached  London  ("  Bull  and  Mouth,")  about  6  o'clock.  This 
was  even  quicker,  the  entire  distance  of  271  miles  being  run  in 
some  forty-five  hours. 

The  Close  of  the  Foreign  Mails  at  Falmouth. 

Mr.  Newberry  Cox,  who  for  forty  years — (he  was  appointed 
in  1856,  and  succeeded  Mr.  Rufus  Ellis) — was  the  hard-working 
Postmaster  of  Falmouth,  has  an  interesting  story  to  tell. 
The  following  pages  from  his  book  of  notes  give  an  outline  of  it. 
Although  the  old  Packet  Establishment  was  broken  up, — some 
foreign  mails  were  still  received  and  despatched  in  Falmouth. 
This  made  additional  work,  and  without  a  single  clerk,  and  with 
only  his  wife  to  help  him,  Mr.  Cox  had  to  deal  with  these  and  the 
local  mails  as  well.  Sometimes  he  could  hardly  snatch  a  few 
moments  for  meals,  and  when  the  Plymouth  mail  was  late,  he 
would  meet  it  halfway  to  Truro,  and  receive  the  arriving  mail 
from  the  coach,  turn  the  guard  back  with  the  outward  mail,  and 
save  the  delivery  in  Falmouth.  As  he  had  to  be  on  duty  from 
seven  in  the  morning,  it  goes  without  saying  that  he  was  not  a 
little  fagged  out,  although  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  benefited. 
The  hours  of  duty  were  supposed  to  terminate  at  10  p.m.,  but 
the  nights  were  encroached  upon,  and  for  four  years  he  has 
recorded  that  he  never  had  a  full  night's  rest,  although  he  never 
failed  to  despatch  a  mail.  The  Post  Office  was  frequently  moved. 
It  was  then  in  Post  Office  Yard  ;  afterwards  in  Church  Street  on 
one  side,  then  at  a  house  opposite  ;  subsequently  in  the  Moor, 
and  afterwards  in  a  house  in  Market  Street,  after  which  it  was 
located  in  the  historic  Bell's  Court,  where  Mr.  Cox  resided  for 


WILLIAM    HRYCE. 
GiARi)  oi"  rHh:  Kalmdutu  Mam,  Coach. 


(Knnn  an  Oil  PaiiUin;;.) 


Appendix.  213 

five  or  six  years.  It  was  alter  this  removed  to  Church  Street 
again,  to  a  house  opposite  the  "News  Rooms."  Mr.  Cox  had 
to  provide  an  office,  and  received  no  allowance  for  expenses. 
Finally,  through  his  efforts,  which  were  seconded  by  Mr.  John 
Freeman,  Messrs.  Fox,  Broad,  and  others,  a  house  was  built  on 
the  site  of  two  old  cottages  in  Church  Street,  and  this  is  where 
the  present  enlarged  building  stands.  It  is  now  the  property  of 
the  Government. 

For  thirteen  years  Mr.  Cox  worked  unprovided  with  a  clerk, 
and  was  practically  unable  to  obtain  a  holiday.  When  the  clerk 
came  at  last,  he  had  to  be  trained,  and  this  was  the  case  with 
each  of  the  successors.  The  mails  from  abroad  were  sometimes 
so  heavy  as  to  require  an  omnibus  to  transport  them  to  Ply- 
mouth, and  although  they  gradually  lessened,  some  Royal  and 
ship  mails  arrived  at  Falmouth  as  late  as  1870.  Mr.  Cox  used  to 
go  out  to  meet  the  steamers  to  save  time,  and  found  these  little 
trips  the  least  taxing  of  his  heavy  undertakings — for  in  his  youth 
he  had  made  many  voyages  and  was  fond  of  the  sea.  For  many 
years  he  had  no  remuneration  for  all  this  extra  work,  and 
frequently  suffered  from  a  tired  brain  and  over-strung  nerves. 

His  refusal  to  make  up  a  "false  mail"  (sealed  with  the 
office  seal),  to  oblige  certain  gentlemen  who  came  ashore  from  a 
blockade  steamer  at  the  time  of  the  American  War,  showed 
a  strict  adherence  to  official  rules  and  no  little  principle  and 
determination.  For  a  fortnight  he  was  entreated  to  "name  his 
price," — no  matter  what  the  amount,  and  firmly  replied  that  no 
price  could  be  paid. 

When  the  staff  increased— after  the  foreign  mails  had 
ceased — so  did  the  work.  In  i860  the  number  of  issued  and 
paid  money  orders  alone  was  11,623,  ^^^  ^n  the  first  of  each 
month,  an  abstract  of  the  accounts  from  the  two  recording  books 
had  to  be  made  up,  and  balanced  exactly.  Later  on  came  the 
Savings  Bank  deposits,  with  their  thousands  of  entries  and  re- 
ceipt books.  And  to  the  increasing  postal  work  were  added  the 
purchase  of  Government  annuities  and  stocks,  the  telegraph 
system,  licences,  various  legal  forms  and  taxes,  stamped  deeds, 
postal  orders,  the  parcel  post,  the  telephone,  and  express  deli- 
veries. At  Christmas  the  pressure  in  a  town  of  14,000  inhabitants 
is  enormous. 

Before  he  retired,  Mr.  Cox  felt  that  he  had  had  his  full  share 
of  hard  work. 

If  I  may  refer  critically  to  a  Government  Department  which 
of  all  others  is  the  people's  friend,  I  should  say  that  every  office 


214  ^^''  Falmouth. 

should  be  managed  by  a  staff  at  least  equal  to  the  average 
amount  of  work,  and  not  the  minimum.  The  great  revenues  of 
the  General  Post  Office  can  afford  the  comparatively  trifling  cost 
of  adequate  "motive  power"  for  its  valuable  but  intricate 
machinery. 

Reminiscences  of  the  Service.    (G.P.O.) 

I  have  given  above  Mr.  Newberry  Cox's  interesting  account 
of  the  work  which  fell  to  his  lot  while  Postmaster  of  Falmouth. 
It  was  very  arduous,  and  is  still  so  owing  to  the  increase  of  various 
facilities  for  the  public,  unknown  in  former  days.  Since  the 
prosperity  of  Falmouth  was  founded  on  "the  Mails,"  it  may 
interest  some  if  I  record  here  a  few  fragmentary  memories  of  the 
Service.  I  remember  one  important  office,  Douglas,  Isle  of  Man, 
over  which  a  woman  presided  with  credit.  Douglas,  then  a  very 
considerable,  and  now  a  very  large  place,  found  Miss  MacAdam 
equal  to  the  post.  She  was  a  woman  of  ability,  method,  resolu- 
tion and  nerve,  and  on  one  occasion  (being  a  goodly  size) 
grappled  herself  with  a  nocturnal  thief  in  the  office,  to  his 
complete  undoing.  My  father  thought  highly  of  her,  and  used  to 
say — "  My  best  men  are  the  postmistresses  !  " 

I  may  add  that  the  great  offices  (of  cities)  were,  however, 
never  handed  over  to  feminine  care — such  offices  as  Manchester, 
Leeds,  Liverpool,  Bristol,  etc.  These  were  snug  home  appoint- 
ments sought  after  by  officials  who  held  superior  appoint- 
ments as  regards  rank  and  responsibility,  since  the  "  com- 
mission"  on  stamps  was  continually  increasing,  and  the 
salaries  ran  from  j^i,ooo  to  ;^  1,500  a  year.  I  remember 
over  one  of  these  offices  a  member  of  a  Ducal  house  presided, 
over  another  the  heir  to  a  peerage,  while  in  other  instances  large 
private  means  in  addition  enabled  the  officials  in  questio.n  to  live 
in  good  style,  in  nice  houses,  and  with  men-servants  and  carriages. 
But  the  salaries  have  been  reduced  and  fixed,  and  the  city  post- 
masters are  now  independent  as  regards  supervision,  and  are 
directly  responsible  to  the  chiefs  of  St.  Martin' s-le-G rand.  Liver- 
pool has  a  suburban  postal  district  attached  to  the  central  office, 
and  the  Isle  of  Man  is  included.  In  fact  all  the  salaries  of  leading 
officials  have  been,  more  or  less,  cut  down,  and  the  palmy  days 
are  over.  In  the  old  days  the  more  important  appointments  were 
made  through  interest  rather  than  merit,  and  many  a  man  came 
from  a  country  seat  to  guide  and  guard  the  course  of  Her 
Majesty's  mails,  who  preferred  home  life  to  exile  in  India  before 
the  time  of  the  Suez  Canal.     Some  of  them  were  more  competent 


Appendix.  215 

following  the  hounds  than  the  track  of  the  mails,  and  loved  a  race- 
horse better  than  a  post  oflBce.  No  doubt  they  were  pleasant 
company — not  too  much  trammelled  with  red  tape.  In  the 
Surveyor's  department,  there  used  to  be  an  obsolete  system  of 
"  mileage,"  for  which  extra  pay  was  given,  which  was,  of  course, 
the  strongest  inducement  to  some  officials  to  make  unnecessary 
journeys  and  take  the  longest  routes.  Finding  that  the  system 
was  open  to  abuse,  the  chiefs  of  the  G.P.O.  sent  for  statistics  to 
all  in  the  department.  My  father  returned  exactly  what  he 
received — neither  more  nor  less — for  legitimate  journeys,  and  the 
amount  was  at  once  assigned  to  him,  the  salaries,  however, 
being  settled  on  a  new  basis,  viz.,  that  of  a  fixed  travelling 
allowance  instead  of  the  indefinit  "mileage."  Someone, 
however,  who  foresaw  possible  prospects  of  reduction,  and  desired 
things  to  go  on  as  they  were,  returned  an  understated  amount,  and 
was  much  taken  aback  by  his  annual  salary  being  fixed  on  his 
own  figures.  His  subsequent  explanations  received,  I  believe,  a 
sarcastic  reply,  but  I  do  not  remember  as  to  the  final  adjustment. 
The  story  came  to  my  knowledge  as  a  child,  owing  to  a  friend 
congratulating  my  father  (who  had  merely  been  straightforward), 
and  I  never  remember  any  reference  to  it  again.  The  older  folks 
were  not  aware  that  there  was  a  little  "  chiel  amang  them  " 
making  mental  notes,  and  as  all  are  gone  connected  with  those 
days,  there  is  no  reason  why  I  should  not  mention  the  incident, 
illustrative  as  it  is  of  the  ways  of  the  service  in  the  past.  As 
may  be  supposed  companies  were  anxious  to  contract  for  the 
"  Royal  Mails,"  since  their  conveyance  was  a  guarantee  of 
punctuality  and  speed,  and  a  recommendation  to  the  public.  My 
father  gave  his  opinion  with  the  strictest  impartiality  and,  in 
order  to  maintain  an  independent  attitude,  he  would  never 
accept  the  smallest  thing  which  would  place  him  under  an 
obligation  to  any  company — whether  in  the  shape  of  a  free  ticket 
or  passage — or  any  presentation  or  privilege.  Of  course,  this  is 
as  it  should  be.  A  good  official  must  invariably  consider  the 
public  benefit.  The  G.P.O.  is  a  most  remunerative  Government 
service,  even  the  postal  telegraph  department  being  capable 
of  good  returns,  and  the  late  great  reductions  m  the  salaries 
of  leading  appointments  tend  to  keep  clever  men,  who  have 
families  to  bring  up  to  the  best  advantage,  out  of  the  service. 
Postmasters  of  country  towns  are  sometimes  also  overworked 
at  Christmas  and  at  other  periods,  while  this  tendency  to 
"  cheese-paring  "  produces  no  real  effect  on  the  general 
expenditure. 


2i6  Old  Falmouth. 

The  name  of  "Surveyor" — a  misnomer,  considering  the 
popular  view  of  the  word  and  the  class  of  work  connected  with 
it — was  no  doubt  derived  from  some  obsolete  appointment,  and 
should  have  been  altered  to  "inspector"  or  "controller." 
Looking-  in  an  old  almanac  of  the  date  of  1776,  I  turned  to  the 
pages  devoted  to  the  Post  Office,  which  are  now  very  amusing 
reading.  There  I  found  recorded  one  "  Resident  Surveyor, 
Nathan  Draper,  Esq.,"  who  had  ;^200  per  annum,  and  three 
others,  two  of  whom  had  ;^300  a  year  each,  and  the  other  ^^220. 
The  Secretar)'  at  Headquarters  (Anthony  Todd,  Esq.)  got  ;^200 
a  year,  and  no  doubt  was  thankful,  while  no  official  exceeded 
;^300  in  annual  salary,  except  the  two  Postmasters-General.  So 
limited  and  scanty  was  the  entire  establishment  that  the  names 
of  the  London  sorters  were  given,  and  messengers  at  12s.  a 
week,  and  "  window"  men,  "  door-keepers,"  and  "  watchman," 
are  all  entered.  One  Anne  Osborne  was  the  housekeeper,  and 
"passing  rich  on  £^0  a  year."  A  number  of  "  Clerks  of  the 
roads  "  apparently  dealt  with  the  mail  coach  routes.  As  for  the 
"  rates  of  postage,"  they  must  have  distracted  alike  the  officials 
and  the  public.  To  send  a  letter  to  Scotland  5d.  had  to  be  paid, 
while  a  penny  would  only  convey  one  to  "  any  Place  not  exceed- 
ing one  Stage  from"  "any  Post  Office  in  Great  Britain  or 
Ireland.'"  A  glance  at  Whittaker  will  show  the  vast  develop- 
ment which  has  taken  place. 

To  add  a  few  mo'-e  reminiscences  ^  when  any  important 
alterations  took  place  with  regard  to  m.'  a  meeting  of  the 
Surveyors  used  to  be  convened,  probably  at  ieuley-on  Thames, 
etc.  These  meetings  were  necessary  for  arranging  the  proper 
connection  of  mails  passing  through  each  postal  district,  and  a 
good  deal  of  intricate  work  and  calculation  impossible  by  corres- 
pondence were  carried  out,  enlivened  by  good  dinners,  and  an 
agreeable  social  time.  They  created  a  pleasant  fraternal  feeling. 
Among  them  at  one  time  was  Anthony  Trollope,  whom  I  well 
remember  at  our  house  on  occasions.  He  was  a  man  of  bound- 
less energy,  which  enabled  him  to  do  his  official  work,  write 
innumerable  books,  and  travel  and  ride  to  hounds,  with  apparent 
ease.  No  more  repose  was  left  in  the  house  when  he  awoke  in 
the  morning.  Doors  slammed,  footsteps  resounded,  and  a 
general  whirlwind  arose,  as  he  came  or  returned  from  his  bath, 
or  walked  out  in  the  garden,  and  from  that  time  until  nightfall, 
he  was  as  busy  as  a  man  could  be.  He  had  a  scorn  of  every- 
thing in  the  way  of  pretension — even  of  justice  to  time-honoured 
institutions, — and  slurred  over  his  family  history,  and  belittled 


Appendix.  217 

"the  service"  right  royally.  "Post  Office"  (he  always  omitted 
the  "  General  "  or  departmental  style  and  title) — he  would  write 
with  a  little  "p"  and  a  little  "  o,"  as  though  it  were  a  village 
sub-ofl&ce,  retailing  stamps  with  tobacco  and  onions,  and  I 
remarked  on  this  one  day  to  his  brother-in-law,  Sir  John  Tilley, 
who  responded  by  a  hearty  laugh.  Such  a  "John  Bull"  was 
independent  at  all  points,  and  his  publisher's  cheques  enabled 
him  to  live  in  good  style  after  retirement  from  "  Her  Majesty's 
Service."  An  establishment  Hke  the  Herald's  College,  or  the 
stately  "  powers  that  be  "  of  official  life,  w^ould  have  been  rent  in 
twain  by  his  indifferent  down-rightness,  and  pomps  and  vanities 
generally  dispersed  like  bubbles.  Early  saints  and  antiquities 
would  have  fared  no  better.  Such  was  his  nature  which,  as  I 
recollect  it,  was  full  of  fiery  and  energetic  bluntness.  Who 
would  have  thought  episcopal  dignitaries  could  have  been  of  his 
kin  ?  Yet  as  regards  imagination,  he  was  unusually  gifted,  as 
shown  by  his  best  works  of  fiction,  and  he  would  describe  a 
woman's  feelings  and  ideas  in  regard  to  a  lover  better  than  a 
woman  herself. 

Far  different  was  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  a  cool,  quiet,  persistent, 
long-headed  little  man,  who  held  on  resolutely  to  his  ideas,  and 
was  a  stickler  for  formalities  and  law  and  order.  He  had  a 
mental  attitude  which  was  alert  for  fresh  information,  and  would 
not  let  a  thing  drop  until  he  had  got  at  the  facts.  His  scheme 
of  penny  postage  regardless  of  distance,  should  make  all  of  us 
grateful  to  that  capable,  calculating  head. 

Mr.  Frank  Ives  Scudamore,  a  tiny  man,  initiated  the  Postal 
Telegraph  service,  and  was  an  author  to  boot. 

Sir  George  Henry  Freeling,  connected  with  the  old  Packet  days, 
I  never  knew,  since  he  died  in  1841.  But  the  house  of  his  widow 
and  her  family  was  ever  open  to  us  young  people  on  holidays, 
long  after,  when  at  school  at  Clifton,  and  many  are  the  pleasant 
reminiscences  we  still  preserve  of  those  happy  hours  of  freedom 
from  studies. 

This  discursive  note — possibly  of  some  interest  to  my  readers 
if  they  like  to  know  a  few  trifles  about  the  inside  track  of  the 
department  which  looks  after  their  letters — must  close.  If  I 
might  add  a  word  of  advice — I  would  suggest  for  public  benefit 
that  the  loss  of  a  letter  does  not  concern  the  Postmaster-General 
(who  is  a  Cabinet  Minister  and  has  rather  a  large  corres- 
pondence)— and  that  the  Postmaster  of  the  town  where  it  was 
posted  will  usually  set  in  motion  sufficient  official  machinery  to 
recover  it,  unless  it  be  posted  (as  one  or  two  have   been)  in   a 


2i8  Old  Falmouth. 

half-opened  umbrella,  or  the  pocket  of  an  overcoat.  The 
Surveyor  of  the  district  will  also  give  valuable  advice  to  com- 
mittees in  ayitation  about  mails  and  trains,  since  he  knows  the 
routine  of  his  own  counties  better  than  any  other  official,  and  his 
recommendations  carry  an  expert's  weight  with  the  central 
authorities.  How  to  communicate  with  him  can  always  be 
ascertained  at  any  Post  Office  of  sufficient  size.  A  memorial 
like  that  relating  to  the  continuation  of  the  Packet  Service  at 
Falmouth,  affecting  large  public  interests,  is  very  properly 
addressed  to  the  head — the  Postmaster-General,  before  whom 
leading  questions  are  passed  in  careful  review,  and  dealt  with 
in  the  Secretary's  Department. 

Those  who  visit  St.  Martin' s-le-Grand — and  it  is  well  worth 
a    visit — will    find    a   room    assigned    to     relics,    among   them 
some  of  the   old   Packet   Service,  to  which  collection  additions 
are   always  welcome.      It  is   the   one   old-world  and   romantic 
spot  in  that  vast  and  busy  building. 

Carne.     {Page  147). 

In  the  Parochial  History  of  Cor7rjoall  (St.  Agnes)  it  is 
stated  that  "  in  1559,  Henry,  Earl  of  Rutland,  then  Lord  of  the 
Manor  of  Trevaunance,  sold  the  fee  of  his  right  in  Trevaunance 
to  Richard  Carne  the  younger,  of  Camborne,  gent.,  who  recon- 
veyed  it  the  same  year  to  John  Jeffry ;  and  he  conveyed  it  in 
1593  to  Thomas  Tonkin.  The  above-named  Richard  Carne  gave 
for  his  arms  (as  appears  by  his  seal),  a  pelican  in  her  nest  with 
wings  displayed,  feeding  her  young*  ones,  which  coat  is  still  to 
be  seen  m  Trevaunance  seals,  and  in  the  roof  of  St.  Agnes'  church. 
He  was  descended  from  the  Carnes  of  Glamorganshire,  in 
Wales,  who  derive  their  pedigree  from  Ithal,  King  of  Gwent, 
whose  direct  ancestor  was  Belimaur,  the  father  of  Cassibelan ; 
which  Came  settled  in  Cornwall,  as  we  have  it  by  tradition,  upon 
his  ancestor's  marriage  with  the  heiress  of  Tresilian  of  Tresilian, 
in  the  parish  of  Newlyn."  [Hals.)  The  late  Chief  Justice 
Earle,  who  was  connected  with  the  family,  traced  his  descent 
from  the  Welsh  family  of  Carne.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
Welsh  were  careful  preservers  of  pedigrees. 

Mrs.  John  Camin  and  Mr.  Dominique  Palairet  were 
Huguenots  by  descent.  In  1865  the  inhabitants  of  Falmouth 
commissioned  Mr.  Sidney  Hodges  to  paint  a  portrait  of  Mr. 
William  Carne,  which  now  hangs  on  the  walls  of  the  Council 
Chamber   in   the   Municipal    Buildings.     The   inscription   runs : 

*  Arms  of  Tresillian. 


Appendix.  219 

"William  Carne,  Mayor,   1855,    1863,    1864.      Presented  by  his 
fellow-townsmen,  1865." 

Mr.  Richard  Game's  relations  removed  from  Falmouth,  but 
Mr.  John  Carne,  grandfather  of  Mr.  W.  Naylor  Came,  settled 
there.  He  died  at  the  Cottage  in  1&39,  aged  78.  His  sister 
married  Dr.  James  Moor,  who  lived  in  Church  Street.  Mrs. 
Moor  owned  Trewoon.  There  was  no  issue  of  this  marriage, 
and  on  the  death  of  Mrs.  Moor  in  1 841,  in  Truro,  at  the  age  of 
80,  her  property  was  inherited  by  her  late  husband's  nephew. 
The  tablet  to  the  memory  of  her  brother  in  the  Parish  Church 
was  erected  in  accordance  with  Mrs.  Moor's  will  "  as  a  token  of 
his  worth  and  her  affection." 

Fox.    {Page  149). 

It  is  not  known  whether  Captain  John  Fox,  Lieut.-Governor 
of  Pendennis  Castle  from  1646  to  1658,  and  then  Governor,  was 
related  to  the  Falmouth  family.  But  if  so,  he  was  the  first  of  the 
name  in  the  neighbourhood.  Mr.  Wilson  Lloyd  Fox  has  given 
me  the  following  notes  :  "  On  the  gateway  of  Catchfrench,  in  the 
parish  of  Hessenford,  near  St.  Germans,  is  an  armorial  bearing 
with  a  fox  on  a  cap  of  maintenance  at  the  top,  where  it  was 
affixed  in  stone  by  my  ancestor,  Francis  Fox.  He  married 
Dorothy  Kekewich  in  1646,  and  on  their  first  settling  in  Cornwall, 
Catchfrench,  being  vacant,  became  their  residence.  It  is  now 
the  property  of  the  Glanville  family,  but  was  formerly  the  seat  of 
the  Keckwetches  of  Exeter,  and  in  Carew's  Survey  of  Cornwall 
it  is  quaintly  stated  that  '  Mr.  G.  Keckwitch  of  Catchfrench 
whose  continual  large  and  inquisitive  liberality  to  the  poor,  did 
in  late  dear  years  extraordinarily  extend  itself  to  an  inviting 
emulation,  but  beyond  the  apprehensive  imitation  of  any  other 
in  the  shire." 

"  Francis  and  Dorothy  Fox  joined  the  Society  of  Friends 
some  time  between  1647  and  1653.  His  son,  Francis,  who  settled 
at  St.  Germans  at  the  time  of  the  Protectorate,  married  (secondly) 
Miss  Tabirha  Croker,  who  was  the  mother  of  George  Fox  of  Par. 
And  from  the  second  marriage  of  the  last  named  George  (who 
was  not  related  to  the  celebrated  founder  of  the  Society  of 
Friends),  the  Foxes  of  Plymouth  and  Falmouth  are  descended." 
Dr.  Wilson  Fox,  F.R.S.,  and  formerly  Physician  to  the  late 
Queen  Victoria,  was  a  descendant  of  George  Fox  by  his  first 
marriage.  Mr.  Wilson  Lloyd  Fox  adds,  "Mr.  George  Croker  Fox 
founded  the  business  of  '  Messrs.  G.  C.  Fox  and  Co.'  in  175.^,  and 
settled  in  Falmouth  (from  Fowey)  in  1762.  Mr.  Robert  Were 
Fox,  Senior  (father  of  Mr.  R.  W.  Fox,  F.R.S.),  of  Bank  House,  in 


220  OhI  Fahiwulh. 

Grove  Place,  Falmouth,  nnd  Penjerrick,  established  the  Pe'ran 
Foundry.  He  was  a  mine  owner,  merchant,  ship-agent  and  Consul, 
and  accumulated  a  considerable  fortune  during  an  active  business 
life."  The  name  of  Were,  which  he  and  his  son  bore,  wa.s 
derived  from  the  old  Devon  and  Somerset  family  of  Were  or 
Weare,  of  Wellington  and  Poole.  The  Crokers  (or  Crockets), 
whose  name  has  been  also  borne  for  a  long  period  in  the  family, 
were  also  an  ancient  Devonshire  family.  Sir  John  Croker  was 
cupbearer  to  Edward  IV.  "  Crocker,  Cruwys,  and  Coplestone, 
when  the  Conqueror  came  were  all  at  home,"  was  the  old  saying 
mentioned  in  Princes  Worthies  of  Devon^  1701. 

The  eldest  son  of  George  Fox,  of  Par,  was  George  Croker 
Fox,  the  first  of  the  family  who  settled  in  Falmouth.  He  died  in 
1781.  His  eldest  son,  born  1752,  the  second  George 
Croker  Fox,  married  Catherine  Young,  an  heiress,  and  built 
Grove  Hill  House;  he  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  also 
called  George  Croker,  who  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Robert 
Barclay,  of  Bury  Hill,  Surrey,  and  died  in  1850,  without  issue. 

The  second  son  (of  the  first  George  Croker  Fox),  was  Robert 
Were  Fox,  senior,  who  married  Elizabeth  Tregelles,  and  whose 
eldest  son  was  Robert  Were  Fox,  F.R.S.,  of  Penjerrick,  who 
married  Maria,  another  daughter  of  Robert  Barclay. 

Three  other  sons  (of  the  first  G.  C.  Fox)  died  without  issue, — 
two  of  them,  Philip  and  William  Were,  in  the  shipwreck  men- 
tioned in  p.  151,  while  the  other,  Joshua, ;who  wrote  the  letters, 
from  which  extracts  have  been  taken,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
one,  in  1791. 

Of  the  sons  of  Robert  Were  Fox,  senior,  the  third  son  was 
Joshua  Fox.  of  Tregedna,  whose  eldest  daughter  married  Captain 
James  Bull,  jun.,  R.N.  The  fourth  son  was  Alfred  Fox,  of 
Glendurgan.  who  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Samuel  Lloyd,  of 
Warwickshire.     And  the  sixth  son  was  Charles  Fox,  of  Trebah. 

To  return  to  George  Fox,  of  Par — his  second  son  was  Joseph 
Fox.  the  surgeon  (born  in  1729),  who  also  came  to  Falmouth 
about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  married  in  1754, 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Richard  Hingston,  surgeon,  of  Penryn. 
From  him  Nathaniel  Fox,  of  Falmouth,  is  descended.  This 
branch  followed  the  medical  profession,  in  which  some  dis- 
tinguished themselves.  From  the  third  son  of  George  Fox,  of 
Par,  are  descended  the  Foxes  of  Plymouth. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fox,  of  Bank  House,  died  in  1854,  at  the  age 
of  eighty.  Mrs.  Schimmelpenninck  was  wont  to  call  her  in  the 
early  part  of  the  century  a  "  Mothe-r  in  Israel."     Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Appendix.  221 

Charles  Fox,  of  Tredrea,  where  they  lived  first,  drew  around  them 
many  literary  people,  Mrs  Charles  Fox  being  a  woman  of  strong 
literary  tastes,  and  a  friend  and  correspondent  of  the  Coleridges, 
etc. 

Another  Charles  Fox  (of  a  different  branch  and  earlier 
generation)  it  was  who  calmly  took  a  sketch  of  his  burning 
house  in  or  about  1790,  after  finding  nothing  could  be  done  to 
avert  its  destruction,  although  the  property  was  not  insured. 
After  this  he  travelled  in  the  northern  part  of  Europe,  making 
many  sketches,  and  publishing  a  Russian  work.  He  had  pre- 
viously written  Cornish  Dialogues. 

The  Royal  Cornwall  Polytechnic  Society. 
This  Society  originated  in  the  deep  interest  taken  by  the 
late  Miss  Anna  Maria  Fox  in  the  models  brought  to  her  father 
by  some  of  the  ingenious  workmen  of  the  Perran  Foundry.  It 
was  strongly  supported  in  the  county,  and  in  1835  William  IV. 
became  its  Patron  ;  followed  in  1837  t)y  Queen  Victoria,  and 
now,  in  1901,  by  Edward  VII.,  who  has  also  consented  to  be 
Patron  of  the  Society.  An  excellent  pamphlet  concerning  it, 
called  an  Historical  Sytiopsis^  by  Mr.  Wilson  L.  Fox,  was 
published  in  1882,  and  the  annual  exhibition  of  the  Society 
antedated  the  international  exhibitions  which  are  now  so  popular 
and  planned  on  so  extensive  a  scale.  The  iron  works  at  Perran 
were  the  first  of  any  importance  in  Cornwall,  and  greatly 
promoted  facilities  for  mining. 

Notes  from  the  MS.  Diary  of  Catharine  Peyton  Fox. 
Miss  Fox,  daughter  of  the  second  George  Croker  Fox,  noted 
down  an  interesting  family  account  of  some  visits.  Among  other 
things  she  wrote  that  in  the  course  of  their  journey  to  Gloucester, 
they  had  a  desire  to  "  view  the  lovely  seat  of  Sir  J.  Onesiphorus 
Pearl,  a  queer  name  truly,  and  from  what  we  heard  he  is  a  queer 
man,  too,  disappointed  when  young,  therefore  hating  all  women, 
having  as  few  as  possible  about  him  even  in  the  way  of  servants. 
A  crusty  old  bachelor  truly.  Surely  his  sex  is  very  inferior,  for 
what  woman  ever  hated  all  men  because  of  one  !  "  During  her 
visit  to  the  Lloyds  at  Birmingham,  she  met  the  Schimmel- 
pennincks.  When  in  London  she  related  how  a  gentleman  of 
their  party  apologised  one  day  for  keeping  them  waiting  by 
saying  he  "  had  taken  some  friends  to  see  the  Velocipedes  tried, 
who  had  kept  him  beyond  his  time."  These  machines  were  the 
forerunners  of  the  modern  bicycle,  and  were  for  a  time  rather 
fashionable. 


22  2  Old  Fill  moil  til. 

R.C.  Polytechnic  Sociktv  and  the  Falmouth 
Ohservatorv. 

This  Observatory,  one  of  the  seven  first-class  Obser\'atories  in 
the  British  Isles,  was  established  in  Falmouth  owing  to  the 
advantages  given  by  the  Polytechnic  Society.  The  Meteoro- 
logical Council  granted  an  annual  sum,  and  the  building  was 
completed  in  1885.  The  subterranean  room  for  the  Magneto- 
graphs — which  are  so  sensitive  that  no  one  is  allowed  to  enter  the 
room  with  steel  or  iron  articles,  even  watches  having  to  be  re- 
moved.— is  of  great  value,  and  a  varietj'  of  beautifully  adjusted 
scientific  instruments  are  fixed  in  and  around  the  house,  which 
is  carefully  isolated.  Mr.  Wilson  L.  Fo.x,  Hon.  Secretary  of  the 
Meteorological  Committee  has  given  valuable  aid  to  this 
important  work,  while  Mr.  Edward  Kitto,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Polytechnic  Society,  has  for  many  years  taken  the  various  records 
furnished  by  these  instruments.  An  hour  at  the  Observatory  quick- 
ly passes,  as  one  becomes  absorbed  in  viewing  the  ingenious 
sun-gauge,  and  the  way  the  anemometer  whirling  in  the  breeze — 
records  the  force  of  the  wind, — with  the  various  scientific  pro- 
cesses, all  self  acting,  which  make  the  work  of  such  an  institution 
so  accurate  and  usefuL 

Kent  Medal.  {Page  158). 
Inscription  :  "  To  commemorate  the  Destruction  of  the  Keni 
East  Indiaman  by  fire  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  the  reception 
on  board  the  brig  Cambria,  William  Cook,  Master,  of  547 
persons  thus  providentially  delivered  from  death.  From  Fal- 
mouth, Truro,  Helston,  Penryn  and  St.  Ives."  "Rob  Roy" 
MacGregor  was  born  on  board  the  Kent  in  the  course  of  her 
disastrous  voyage,  and  landed  at  Falmouth  as  a  baby  in 
safety. 

Tippet.     {Page  162). 

This  family  is  an  old  one,  of  St.  Wen,  the  name  being 
originally  Tebbot,  or  Tebot, — possibly  French.  Hals  says  of 
them  "Checkenork,  now  Killignock,  in  the  parish  of  St.  Wenn, 
was  another  district  taxed  in  the  Domesday  Book,  1087,  from, 
whence  was  denominated  an  old  family  of  gentlemen,  surnamed, 
de  Killignock,  where  they  flourished  in  good  fame  for  many 
generations,  till  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  when  the  only  daughter 
and  heir  uf  Thomas  Killignock  was  married  to  Richard 
Nanskevall,  alms  Typpet  of  St.  Columb,  which  marriage  brought 
these  lands  into  his  possession,  where  for  three  or  four  descents 
his   posterity  flourished  in  genteel   degree,   till  the  latter  end  of 


Appendix.  223 

the  reig-n  of  King  Charles  II.,  when  Matthew  Typpec,  Gent., 
that  married  Ringwood,  of  Braddock  .  .  .  sold  this 
place  and  the  manor  of  Borlace  Varth  to  Mr.  Joseph  Hawkey, 
his  attorney-at-law  .  .  .  and  his  other  lands."  Mr.  Tippet, 
the  solicitor  of  Falmouth,  died  in  1820.  He  married  Harriet 
daughter  of  Mr.  George  Bell.  His  eldest  son,  James  Vivian 
Vivian,  by  the  will  of  his  kinsman,  John  Vivian  of  Pencalenick, 
took  the  surname  of  Vivian  only  instead  of  Tippet  in  1817.  The 
latter  was  born  in  1701,  and  was  the  son  of  Johnson  Vivian,  of 
Rostrean,  Camborne,  once  merchant  and  Mayor  of  Truro,  who 
was  descended  from  the  old  family  of  Vivian.  He  bought  Pen- 
calenick in  St.  Clements.  Left  to  a  nephew,  the  estate  finally 
came  to  James  Tippet  (already  mentioned)  who  with  his  brother 
Charles,  as  heirs  to  the  Pencalenick  estate,  assumed  the  name  of 
Vivian.  None  of  the  sons  of  Mr.  Tippet,  the  solicitor,  lived  to 
inherit  it,  however,  and  it  passed  to  a  cousin  of  the  name  of  John 
Tippet,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Michael  Henry 
Williams.     {Arms). 

Falmouth  Docks.  {Page  163). 
Five  years  were  occupied  in  constructing  the  docks  and 
breakwaters,  the  work  com.mencing  in  i860,  when  the  foundation 
stone  was  laid  by  Lord  Falmouth.  After  1865,  the  company  was 
obliged  to  mortgage  the  property  to  the  Public  Works  Loan 
Commissioners,  who  carried  on  the  undertaking.  The  contractor 
was  Mr.  Robert  Sharpe,  who  was  also  a  director.  Mr.  Sharpe 
was  also  contractor  for  the  Falmouth  branch  of  the  Cornwall 
railway,  completed  in  1863.  He  constructed  the  Castle  drive  in 
1865,  and  on  its  completion  was  presented  with  an  address  of 
thanks  on  vellum,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  time  and  services  he 
and  his  staff  had  gratuitously  bestowed  on  the  work. 

Hawke.     {Page  165). 
The    family   of  Hawke    was   originally   of  Trerwin   in   St. 
Cleather,  where  two  of  its  members  married  the  heiresses  of  Hare 
and  Prust.     There  have  been  numerous  families   of  the  name 
with  varied  arms. 

Broad.  {Page  169). 
A  full-length  portrait  of  Mr.  R.  R.  Broad,  Senior,  painted  by 
Mr.  Truscott,  was  presented  to  him  by  Lord  Northbrook  at  a 
public  dinner  in  1879,  in  recognition  of  his  long  and  varied 
services,  and  hangs  on  the  walls  of  the  Council  Chamber  of  the 
Municipal  Buildings.     A  copy  of  this  was  also  given  to  him,  and 


2  24  Old  Fahnoulh. 

is  possessed  by  the  family.  The  portrait  is  inscribed  "  Robert 
Richards  Broad,  1841,  1849,  and  1862.  Presented  by  his 
fellow  townsmen.''  In  1863  when  Mayor  of  Falmouth,  he 
presided  at  the  public  dinner  on  the  occasion  of  the  opening  of 
the  railway  to  the  town. 

In  the  illustration,  Mr.  Broad  is  represented  as  wearing  two 
orders  of  foreign  Knighthood,  one  of  Holland,  while  Vice-Consul 
for  the  Netherlands,  and  the  other  of  Saxony,  conferred  for 
services  rendered  to  the  Saxon  government. 

The  armorial  bearings,  granted  in  1667  to  an  ancestor  of 
Middlesex,  mclude  (crest),  a  crowned  lion's  head  on  a  cap  of 
maintenance. 

Carverth. 

An  indirect  connection  with  an  old  Cornish  family  was  made 
by  Mr.  Sidney  Broad  through  his  marriage  with  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Edward  Read,  of  Falmouth,  who  was  born  at  Helston  in  1794. 
Mr.  Read  married  Elizabeth  Truscott  Carverth,  daughter  of 
Nicholas  Carverth,  and  granddaughter  of  Richard  Carverth,  of 
Barthlever,  in  Probus.  This  family  was  related  to  the  Temples, 
of  Gluvias,  the  late  Archbishop  being  a  first  cousin  of  Mrs. 
Broad.  The  Temples  were  connected  with  the  Penroses, 
Trevenens,  and  Arnolds  of  Rugby.  The  Carverths  were  seated 
formerly  at  Carverth  in  Mabe,  (temp.  Chas.  I.),  Meudon  in 
Mawnan,  and  Casawes  in  Gluvias,  and  the  estates  fell  to  the 
ancient  de  Leverton  family,  who  represent  them.  The  old 
monument  in  S.  Gluvias  Church  to  Henricus  Carverth,  who  died 
in  168^1,  has  been  recently  restored.     {Arms). 

The  barton  of  Carverth  in  Mabe  finally  became  the  property 
of  Mr.  J.  Gwennop,  of  Falmouth. 

Mr.  Read's  third  son,  Carverth  Read,  who  matriculated  at 
Cambiidge,  was  the  author  of  various  articles  on  logic  and 
philosophy.  His  eldest  son,  the  Rev.  Edward  Read,  M.A.,  was 
vicar  of  Devonport,  etc.  The  two  other  sons  entered  the 
medical   profession. 

HiTCHINS 
The  popular  and  esteemed  curates-in-charge,  the  Rev. 
Richard  Hawkin  Hitchins  (the  friend  of  Captain  Melvill).  and 
the  Rev.  Lewis  Mathias,  successively  took  the  place  of  rectors 
of  Falmouth  from  1794  to  1837,  memorial  tablets  to  their  memo- 
ries in  the  Parish  Church  bearing  testimony  to  the  affection  of  the 
parishioners.  Mr.  Mathias  was  previously  curate  of  Mevagissey. 
He  inaugurated  two  reforms.     One  related  to  the  pews  of  the 


Appendix.  225 

church,  which  were  held  as  private  property,  rented  to  others,  and 
locked  up  with  keys :  they  were  mentioned  in  wills,  and  the 
incomes  of  some  old  ladies  depended  in  part  on  the  rents.  Mr. 
Mathias  exerted  himself,  and  successfully,  to  abolish  this,  being 
supported  by  the  Chancellor  of  the  diocese.  He  also  established 
the  National  Schools,  after  a  strong  appeal  to  the  people  for 
funds,  in  which  appeal  he  was  aided  by  my  great  uncle,  Barnet 
Falck,  Jun.,  who  was  greatly  interested  in  the  effort. 

SwANPOOL  Tunnel. 

In  the  Selector  of  1826  (No.  5)  an  account  is  given  of  the 
channel  cut  in  the  rock,  which  prevented  the  overflow  of  the  pool. 
This  tunnel,  about  240  feet  long,  and  four  feet  high,  was  cut 
"  through  the  industry  of  one  poor  man  and  his  son,"  who  accom- 
plished the  work  in  seven  months.  It  was  opened  on  April  7th, 
1826,  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  James  Bull,  and  others  who  had 
subscribed  for  it,  the  boys  of  the  Classical  School  being  freed 
from  lessons  earlier  in  order  to  be  present.  Mr.  W.  T.  Tresidder 
— then  a  boy  of  nine  years  old — was  one  of  them.  A  good  road 
on  the  bar  between  the  sea  and  the  pool  was  thus  secured. 

The  Celebration  of  1837. 
This  Celebration  took  place  on  the  occasion  of  Queen  Victoria's 
Accession  in  1837.  Perhaps  the  record  of  that  event  in  our  town 
may  be  of  sufficient  interest — as  showing  what  was  done,  and  who 
did  it — to  be  given  as  lately  reprinted  in  the  Royal  Cornwall 
Gazette,  from  the  old  account.  The  shops  were  closed,  the 
houses  decorated,  and  the  harbour  was  gay  with  beflagged  ships 
and  Packets.  And  a  procession — an  omnium  gatherum — the 
like  of  which  has  never  been  seen  in  Falmouth  before  or  smce, 
marched  to  the  Green  Bank,  and  back  to  Arwenack,  reading 
proclamations  on  the  way.  {Co;py). 

"  Her  Majesty  was  proclaimed  here  on  Tuesday. 

The  High  Constable  on  horseback. 

A  Trumpeter  on  horseback. 

Band. 

Constables. 

Capt.  Whalley  and  a  detachment  of  the  37th  Regiment. 

Flags. 

The  Clergy  in  their  gowns. 

Lieut. -Gen.  Anderson,  late  Governor  of  Pendennis  Castle. 

Officers  of  the  Navy,  according  to  seniority,  in  full  uniform. 


16 


226  Old  Falmouth. 

Sailors  in  white  shirts  and  trousers. 

Revenue  Flag's. 

Collector,*  Controller,  and  Officers  of  Customs. 

Collector,  and  other  officers  of  Excise. 

W.  Gay,  Esq.,  Packet  Agent,  and  the  Clerks  of  his  Ofi&ce. 

—  Budd,  Esq.,  and  the  officers  of  the  Ordnance. 

Flags. 
Sergeants  with  Maces. 
Page.     Twenty-six  young  ladies  in  white.     Page. 
Bearing  a  printed  copy  of  the  Proclamation. 
The  Mayor  and  Town  Clerk  on  horseback. 
Aldermen  and  Town  Councillors. 
Inhabitants  of  Falmouth  and  its  neighbourhood. 
Members  of  the  Hand-in-hand  Club. 
Young  gentlemen  of  the  Classical  School. 
Flags. 
Marines  of  the  Astrosa. 
Gentlemen  on  horseback. 
I  believe  the  "  navy  "  should  have  preceded  the  "  army,"  but 
no  doubt  Falmouth  was  quite  satisfied  with  its  demonstration, 
as  arranged. 

In  one  of  the  Minute-Books  of  the  Corporation  of  that  date, 
it  is  recorded,  "John  Pascoe  expenses  proclaiming  the  Queen," 
14s. 

Constitution  of  Falmouth. 
Since  the  note  on  this  old  document  was  printed  (p.  180), 
Dr.  Banks  (Mayor  of  Falmouth)  has  informed  me  that  he  has 
discovered  that  "  the  three  signatures  approving  and  authorising 
the  various  clauses  are  the  autographs  of  the  three  Counsel  for 
the  defence  in  the  trial  of  the  Seven  Bishops  ;  Somers,  Treby, 
and  Holt,  all  of  whom  are  referred  to  by  Macaulay  in  one  para- 
graph, in  the  chapter  describing  that  trial."  This  historic  trial 
took  place  in  1688,  and  the  "Constitution"  was  drawn  up  in 
1696. 

Pole  on  the  Black  Rock. 

In  south-east  gales  this  pole  was  frequently  washed  away, 
and  the  Trinity  Board  erected  the  granite  beacon  on  the  rock, 

H.M.S.  Anson. 
While  these  pages  are  in  the  press,  the  smgular  discovery 
has  been  made  of  the  hull  of  the  old  warship  Anson,  off  Porth- 

•  Edward  Hull,  Esq. 


Appendix.  227 

leven,  buried  in  the  sand  below  the  sea.  She  was  one  of  the 
numerous  frigates  which  anchored  in  Falmouth  Harbour,  and  on 
sailing  west  in  December,  1807,  she  was  wrecked  with  a  loss  of 
fifty  lives,  including  Captain  Lydiard,  a  distinguished  officer. 
Her  guns  still  lie  on  her  decks,  and  the  timbers,  protected  by 
masses  of  sand,  are  still  sound. 

Rector's  Rate.    [Page  43.) 

The  Falmouth  Rector's  Rate  as  such  was  abolished  with 
the  consent  of  Canon  Christopherson,  who  gave  up  a  portion  of  a 
large  and  yearly  increasing  income  for  a  fixed  stipend.  After  a 
certain  period  the  collection  of  this  rate  by  the  Corporation  will 
entirely  cease.  This  is  the  only  method  of  correcting  the 
original  blunder. 

Note  on  Illustrations. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  George  Bell  is  not,  unfortunately,  in  a 
condition  to  be  photographed  clearly  enough  for  reproduction, 
and  the  Killigrew  brass  has  been  substituted.  The  page  of 
Packet  Commanders  was  found  to  be  impracticable,  and  the 
portraits  have  been  given  separately.  Two  of  ray  pen  and  ink 
sketches  have  lost  all  the  fine  lines  in  reproduction,  owing  to  the 
ink  not  being  sufficiently  black  for  the  process.  I  am  indebted 
as  follows  for  illustrations  : — 

Falmouth  Haven,  to  the  Rev.  E.  Hensley. 
Killigrew  Brass,  to  the  Rev.  W.  Jago. 
Pendennis  Castle,  to  Mr.  John  D.  Enys. 
Sir  Thomas  Fairfax,  to  Mr.  John  D.  Enys, 
Autographs  of  Sir  Peter  Killigrew  and  Fairfax, 
to  Mr.  John  D.  Enys. 

"  Westmoreland  "  Packet,  to  Mr.  John  D.  Enys. 
"  Mercury  "  Packet,  to  Dr.  Montgomery. 

For  the  portraits  I  am  indebted  to  the  families  to  whom  the 
various  oil-paintings  belong. 


FALMOUTH    CIIKOXOLOGY. 


9th  century.     Pendennis  supposed  to   have  been   fortified  by  the 

Danes. 
1 1 20     The  Naming  of  GyllyngArase. 
1403     Manor  of  Arwenack  acquired  by  the  Kil1ig:rew  family,  temp. 

Richard  II. ;    LandinL,^    of    the    Duchess    Dowager   of 

Bretagne    at    Falmouth    Haven,    on    her   way   to    wed 

Henry    IV. 
1538     Old    Fort    erected    on  Pendennis  Point  ;    oldest  (existing) 

fortification  of  Pendennis  built. 
1542     St.  Mawes  Castle  built. 
1542-44     Pendennis   Castle  built,  temp.   Henry  VIII,     Sir  John 

Killigrew  first  Governor,  which  ofBce  he  retained  until 

1567. 
1544     Supposed  date  of  Henry  VIII. 's  visit  to  the  two  castles. 
1552     Date  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  visit. 
1567     Arwenack  Manor-house  built  by  John  Killigrew. 
1600     Ale-house  called    "  Penny-come-quick,"   near  Greenbank 

quay,  established  by  Mr.  Pcndarves'  servant,® 
1600     Arwenack  House,  and  a  few  fishermen's  huts,  all  that  were 

built. 
1613     Date  of  the  rise  of  Falmouth  ;  Sir  John  Killigrew's  plan. 
1613     Petitions  of  Truro,  Penryn  and  Helston  to  James  I,  against 

its  progress. 

1619  Sir  John  established  a  lighthouse  at  the  Lizard, 

1620  Visitation  of  the  Heralds. 

1642     Prince  Charles  (Charles  II.)  at  Pendennis  Castle,  protected 

by  the  Governor,  John  Arundel. 
1644-5     Duke  of  Hamilton  confined  in  Pendennis  Castle. 
1644     Queen  Henrietta  Maria  at  Pendennis  Castle  on  her  way  to 

France. 
1646     Pendennis  Castle  besieged  by  Cromwell's  forces  under  Sir 

Thomas  Fairfax,  m  March,  and  Arwenack  House  partly 

destroyed  by  fire.     Surrendered  in  August,  1646. 

•  1550  has  also  been  mentioned  as  the  date,  possibly  of  the  erection  of  the 
house. 

228 


halmouth  Chronology.  229 

1650     The  Custom-house  removed  from  Penryn  to  Falmouth,  near 

the  Market  Strand. 
1652     Markets  estabUshed  by  Sir  Peter  Killigrew. 
1655     George  Fox  (the  founder  of  Quakers)  visited  Falmouth. 
1660     The  names  of  Smithike  and  Penny-come-quick  changed  to 

Falmouth  by  Charles  II. 's  proclamation,  August  20th. 
1660     William  Killigrew  created  a  baronet. 

1660  A  prison  built. 

1 66 1.     October  5th.     Charter  of  the  Incorporation  of  Falmouth 
granted  by  Charles  II. 

1 66 1  A  quay  authorised. 

1662  Parish  church  built;  opened  1663  ;  consecrated  1664. 

1662  An   Independent   Congregation   formed   by  Thomas  Tre- 

goose. 

1663  Register  of  Baptisms  at  Falmouth  Church  commences. 

1664  Registers  of  Marriages  and  Burials  commence. 

1664     Falmouth  Parish  separated  from  Budock  and  Gluvias  by 
Act  of  Parliament. 

1664     Falmouth  Parish  Church  consecrated  by  Dr.  Seth  Ward, 
Bishop  of  Exeter. 

1664     Two  hundred  houses  in  Falmouth. 

1664  (or  67)     Earldom  of  Falmouth  created  by  Charles  II. 

1670     Society  of  Friends  first  established. 

1670     Sir  Peter  Killigrew  built  a  new  quay  near  Arwenack. 

1670     Baptist  Society  established. 

1684    Chancel  built  at  East  End  of  Parish  Church,  by  Walter 
Quarme,  rector. 

1686    Gallery  built  at  West  End  of  Parish  Church  by  Sir  Peter 
Killigrew  and  Mr    Bryan  Rogers. 

1688     Falmouth  became  a  Packet  station. 

1696     Constitution  of  Falmouth  drawn  up  and  adopted. 

1699     Gallery  on  North  Side  of  Parish  Church,  built  by  contribu- 
tions. 

Close  of  17th  century,  350  houses  in  Falmouth. 

1703  Gallery  on  south  side  of  Parish  church  built,  and  also  organ 

at  West  End. 

1704  Sir   Peter   Killigrew   (second)   d.    at   Ludlow,    Shropshire, 

January  8th.     Interred  in  Falmouth  Church. 

1705  Five    Packets   sailed  between   Falmouth    and  the    West 

Indies. 

1708     Church  and  Chancel  paved  by  Robert  Corker. 


230  Old  Falmouth. 

1709*   The  Mayor  and  Corporation  of  Falmouth  established  their 

claim  against   Truro   to   the  jurisdiction    of   Falmouth 

harbour. 
1713-15     Independent  Chapel  erected  in  Prince  Street. 
1715     Congregational  Chapel  built ;  enlarged  1789. 
1717     Pendennis     Castle    struck    by     lightning     and     seriously 

damaged. 
1723     Independent  Chapel  in  High  Street. 
1725     Town  Hall  in  High  Street  given   by  Mr.  M.  L.  Killigrew, 

a  brick  building,  previously  a  chapel. 
1737-8     Granite    pyramid   built   by    Mr.    M.    L.    Killigrew,    near 

Arwenack. 
1740     Large  church  bell  provided  by  Mr.  M.  L.  Killigrew. 
1745     John  Wesley  at  Falmouth. 

1748  Fairs  at  Falmouth  ;  July  and  October. 

1749  Alterations  made  at  the  Parish  Church,  probably  to  the 

tower,  etc. 

1750  Seaman's  Hospital  established. 
1750     Church  enlarged  at  West  End. 

1750  Between  500  and  600  houses  in  Falmouth. 

1751  Freemason's   Lodge    (of  Love   and    Honour)   established. 

(The  "  Mother  Lodge  "  of  the  Province). 

1753  New  Independent  Chapel  built  in  High  Street. 

1754  Methodists  first  established  in  Falmouth  by  John  Wesley. 
1757     Benjamin    Franklin   landed   at    Falmouth    on    his   way    to 

America. 
1766     First  Jews'  Synagogue,  near  Mount  Sion, 
1769     Baptist  Chapel  in  Well  Lane. 

1779  Death  of  Joan  Davis,  aged  loi. 

1780  Mrs.  Ann  Davell's  Charity  of  ^9  per  annum  to  poor  widows 

or  their  sons. 

1781  Falmouth    Bank   established;    Joseph    Banfield   and   Co., 

afterwards  Carne,  Lake  and  Co. 
1 78 1     October  25th.    A  fire,  which  caused  distress  to  twenty-five 

families. 
1785     New  Custom-house  built  near  Arwenack. 

1788  August  i6th.    A  great  fire  in  Church  Street,  extending  up 

Well  Lane,  and  as  far  as  the  present  Public  Rooms. 

1789  Grove  Hill  House  begun. 

1790  New  Independent  Chapel  in  High   Street;  Mr.  Wildbore, 

mmister. 

•  Date  of  1703-4  also  given. 


Falmouin  Chronology.  231 

1791  Methodist    (or    Wesleyan)    Chapel    in     Killigrew    Street, 

enlarged  in  1814,  organ  in   1859;  great  thunderstorm; 
Trescobeas  and  ships  in  harbour  struck. 

1792  August  2 1  St.     Great  fire  which  destroyed  forty-two  houses 

and  the  theatre. 
1792     Market-house    re-built    owing    to    insecurity    of   the    old 
foundation. 

1792  Sunday  Schools  founded  from  1792  to  1810. 

1793  Death  of  Catherine  Freeman,  aged  117. 

1794  A    brew-house    built,    disclosing    a    bed    of   beach   sand 

under  the  ground. 

1795  Crab  Quay  and  Half  Moon  batteries  built  below  the  Castle. 
1795     The  Crown  purchased  the  land  on  which  the  Castle  stands 

(about  sixty  acres),  from  Sir  John  Wodehouse. 

1797  Pendennis  Volunteer  Artillery  commissioned. 

1798  Organ  placed  in  the  gallery  of  the  Parish  Church. 

1799  Baptist  Chapel  built. 

1800  The  Church  tower  raised  for  the  clock. 

1801  Falmouth  population,  4,849.     1801-11,  719  houses. 
1801  Illuminations  on  peace  being  proclaimed. 

1801  Corriwall  Gazette  and  Falmouth  Packet  started. 

1802  Richard   Pidgeley  bequeathed   £e^  per  annum   for  distri- 

bution of  bread  to  the  poor,  from  the  estate  of  Mulberry 
Square,  for  1,000  years. 

1802  Church  Charity  School  founded  for  girls,  and  m  1804  for 

boys. 
1803-5     Friends'  Meeting-house  built  in  Quay  Street. 

1803  Roman  Catholic  Mission  founded. 

1804  Baptist  Chapel  built  in  Webber  Street;  enlarged  in  1807 

and  re-built  in  1814  ;  and  enlarged  by  a  gallery,  1834. 

1805  Methodist  Sunday  School. 

1806  Cornish  Naval  Bank  (afterwards  Cornish  Bank),  opened  in 

Church  Street. 

1806  Second  Jews'  Synagogue  built  on  Porhan  Hill. 

1807  April  3rd.     Public  Dispensary  opened. 

1807  Misericordia  Society  founded  by  Lieut.-Governor  Melvill. 

1808  October  9th.    Expedition   under   Sir   David    Baird   of   150 

transports  carrying  between  12,000  and  13,000  men, 
convoyed  by  H.M.S.  Louie,  Amelia  and  Champion. 
On  13th  entered  Corunna  Harbour. 

1809  Celebration  of  fifty  years  reign  of  George  HI. 

1809     Church  Sunday  School  founded  by  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Hitchins 
and  Captain  Melvill. 


232  Old  Falmouth. 

[809     The  harbour  pilots  reg-ulated  by  the  Trinity  Board. 

1809  A  Basking  shark  31  feet  long  caught  at  Penryn. 

[809     Second  Freemasons'   Lodge  founded,  "  Love  and  Unity." 

Other  orders. 
[809     National  Schools  on  Wodehouse  Terrace. 

1810  Charitable  Society  founded. 

[810     Widows'   Retreat  founded    by  Lord  Wodehouse   and  Mr. 

Samuel  Tregelles. 
[810     Mutiny  of  the  Packets-men. 
[810     Baptist  Sunday  School. 

181 1  Howellian  Girls'   Free  School;  Boys' ditto  ;  organised  by 
Miss  Howell. 

[811     Bible  Society  established. 

[812     Lord    Clinton,  bearer  of  the  news  of  the  victory  of  Sala- 
manca, on  July  2ist. 
[812     Death  of  John  Zouster,  aged  105. 
[812     Unitarian  Society  founded. 
[812     Parish  Church  lengthened  one-third  at  east  end,  at  a  cost 

of  £iM3- 
[812     250    sail   sheltered    from   a    storm   in  Falmouth    Harbour, 

convoyed  by  several  of  H.M's.  ships. 
[812     Lancastrian  Boys'  School  established. 
[812     Accident  at  the   Parish  Church,  causing   loss   of  several 

lives,  November  29th. 
[812     Removal  of  the  Market. 
[813     Market-house  built  by  Lord  Wodehouse. 
[813     British  Girls'  School  founded  at  Smithick  Hill.      Vtde  1898. 
[813     Humane  Society  founded. 
ii4     Proclamation    of    peace     and     rejoicings     in     Falmouth, 

November  2nd. 
[814     The  Qi^een  transport  wrecked  at  Trefusis  Point  on  her  way 

home  from  Lisbon  to  Plymouth,  and  195  persons  drowned. 
[814     Adult  School  founded. 
[814     Infant  School  founded. 
[815     Between   thirty   and  forty   Packets   sailing   to   and    from 

Falmouth. 
[815     Napoleon  brought  into  Falmouth  Harbour  on  board  H.M.S. 

Northuniberla7id. 
[817     Provident  Institution  for  the  relief  of  poor  in  winter  founded. 
18 1 7     Falmouth  Savings  Bank  founded. 
[818     Unitarian  Chapel  built  in  the  Moor. 
[819     Cornish  Naval  Bank  carried  on  by  Messrs.  Praed,  Rogers, 

Tweedy,  and  Williams. 


Falmouth  Chronology.  233 

1819  First  Gas  Works  established  by  Mr.  Wynne. 

1820  Roman  Catholic  Chapel  built  on  Green  Bank  (formerly  in 

Well  Lane). 

1821  850  houses,  and  7,000  population. 

1824  Classical    and    Mathematical    School   built,  Headmaster, 

Rev.   T.    Sheepshanks.     Endowed    1892   by  a   bequest 
from  Miss  Curgenven,  aunt  of  H.  M.  Jeffery,  F.R.S. 

1825  Loss  of  the  E  I.C.  ship  Kent\iy  fire  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay, 

on  24th  February  :  547  persons  rescued  and  brought  in 
the  Cambria  to  Falmouth. 

1826  Public    Reading  and   News    Rooms   built  and  opened  in 

Church  Street. 

1826  Swanpool  tunnel  made. 

1827  National  School  on  Mount  Sion  opened,  including  Church 

Charity  School,  through  the  exertions  of  the   Rev.  L. 

Mathias  and  Mr.  B.  B.  Falck,  jun. 
1827     Fire  at  Quay  Street,  and  another  at  Tregedna. 
1827     900  houses,  and  over  8,000  inhabitants. 

1827  Visit  of  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  Lord  High  Admiral, 

in   the  Royal  Sovereign  yacht,  and  inspection  of  the 

Packets. 
1827-8  Penwerris  Church  built. 
£828     Donna  Maria  da  Gloria,  second  Queen  of  Portugal,  landed 

at  Falmouth,  September  27th. 
1828-9  Losses    of    the    Red;pole,   Hearty^    Ariel,    and    Myrtle 

Packets. 

1828  Disaster  at  a  Falmouth  ball, 

1829  Falmouth  Packet  and  Cornish  Herald  started  (discon- 

tinued in  1848). 

1829  Wesleyan  Chapel  in  Porhan  Street  built. 

1830  Bible  Christian  Chapel  built  on  Smithick  Hill. 

1831  The  ex-Emperor  and  Empress  of  Brazil  visited  Falmouth 

(on  board  the  Volage). 

1832  United    Borough   of  Penryn   and   Falmouth   incorporated, 

returning  two  M.P.s.     In  1885  Flushing  added,  and  the 
representation    reduced   to    one.      St     Mawes   disfran- 
chised. 
1832     Steam  Packet  to  Lisbon  twice  a  month. 

1832  Primitive    Methodist    Chapel    built    in    Chapel    Terrace ; 

enlarged  by  gallery  in  1836. 

1833  Royal  Cornwall  Polytechnic  Society  founded,  and  Public 

Library. 
1833     Cholera  at  Falmouth. 


234  Old  Falmouth. 

1834     Polytechnic  Hall  built. 

1834     ■^'^t    creating    Unions    passed ;     meetings    of    Guardians 
shortly  after. 

1834  St.  Anthony's  lighthouse  begun. 

1835  The  cone  and  iron  standard  on  the  Black  Rock  built  by  the 

Trinity  House. 
1835     Municipal  Corporation  Act  passed. 

1835  Lieut.-Governorship  of  Pendennis  Castle  abolished. 

1836  Meridian  Stone  placed  in  field  near  Beacon. 

1836  The  Killigrew  obelisk  removed  to  the  top  of  the  old  rope- 

walk. 

1837  The  office  of  Governor  of  Pendennis  Castle  abolished. 

1837  Some  forty  Packets  sailing  to  and  from  Falmouth. 

1838  Rev.  W.  J.  Coope,  Rector  of  Falmouth. 

1840     Gyllyngdune  House  built  by  the  Coope  family. 

1842  Governorship  of  St.  Mawes  Castle  abolished. 

1843  Queen    Victoria    and    Prince    Albert    visited     Falmouth, 

September  ist,  Mr.  Joseph  Fox,  Mayor. 
1845     Oddfellows'  Lodge  opened. 

1845  Destructive  fire  at  the  Market  Strand  in  January. 

1846  Second  visit  of  Queen  Victoria  and  the  Prince  Consort  oa 

September  14th,  in  steam  yacht  Victoria  and  Albert ~ 
Mr.  R.  R.  Broad,  Mayor. 

1846  County  Court  founded  :  held  in  Old  Town  Hall  (now  Odd- 
fellows' Hall). 

1847-8  Falmouth  Water-works  established. 

1848     Western  Provident  Association  founded. 

1848     Athenaeum  Library  and  Museum  founded. 

1848  Penwerris  made  a  District  Church. 

1849  British   and   Foreign   Sailors'  Society  founded— Seamen's 

Bethel  and  Institute. 

1849  Vestry  added  on  north  side  of  Parish  Church. 

1850  Falmouth  ceased  to  be  a  Packet  Station. 

185 1  H.M.S.  Astrea  left  Falmouth  Harbour. 

1 85 1  Union  Workhouse  founded. 

1852  Royal  Cornwall  Sailors'  Home  founded. 

1852     Art  Union  formed  in  connection  with  the  R.  C.  Polytechnic 
Society. 

1852  Swanpool  Mine  first  worked,  March  i6th. 

1853  Congregational  Chapel  built  in  High  Street. 

1853     July  23rd.     149  Vessels  for  orders  in  Falmouth  under  21 

different  flags. 
1853     Town  Mission  established. 


Falmouth  Chronology.  235. 

1855     Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 
1855     Lake's  Falmouth  Packet  started. 

1857  Falmouth  Cemetery  laid  out ;  consecrated  (church  ground) 
in  1857. 

1857  Electric  Telegraph  Company  opened  a  station  in  Arwenack. 

Street. 

1858  H.M.S.  Russell,  training-ship,  at  Falmouth. 

1859  Cornwall  Railway  opened  to  Truro. 
i860    The  Docks  begun. 

i860     Mail  S.S.  Hungarian  lost  with  all  hands,  including  G.  P. 

Nash,  of  Falmouth,  mail  master. 
i860     Greenwich  Time  generally  adopted  at  Falmouth. 
i860     Falmouth  Archery  Club. 
1861     Parish  Church  provided  with  three  bells. 
1861     Repairs  at  Parish  Church,  Sir  Peter  Killigrew's  vault  seen, 

April  24th. 
1861     Foresters'  Court  opened, 
1861     The    Duke   and    Duchess    de    Montpensier  arrived  in   a 

Spanish  Man-of-War,  July  5th. 

1861  Missions  to  Seamen  commenced. 

1862  Maria  Camilla  Training  School  for  girls  founded. 

1862     Testimonial  to  Mr.  T.  H.  Tilly,  for  his  work  in  behalf  of  the 

Docks. 
1862     Penny  Savings  Bank  opened. 
1862     Falmouth  Debating  Society. 
1862     H.R.H.  Prince  Arthur  visited  Falmouth. 

1862  April  1 2th.     Great  fire  in  High  Street,    destroying   thirty 

houses.     A  smaller  fire  same  year  in  Church  Street. 

1863  Falmouth  adopted  the  Local  Government  Act. 

1863  Gyllyngdune  sold  by  Rev.  W.  J.  Coope  to  Mr.  Sampson 
Waters  for  ;^io,ooo. 

1863     Old  Rectory  premises  sold  for  £'/20. 

1863  August  2 1st V  Railway  opened  to  Falmouth;  town  decor- 
ated and  illuminated ;  and  great  whale  75  feet  long^ 
and  25  feet  round,  towed  in  from  Cadgwith. 

1863  Catholic  and  Apostolic  (Irvingite)  Church  closed. 

1864  New  Town  Hall  begun. 

1864  April  7th.  General  Garibaldi  in  Duke  of  Sutherland's 
yacht,  at  Falmouth. 

1864  May  loth.     H.M.S.  Si.  George  (training)  at  Falmouth. 

1865  Falmouth  Hotel  opened. 

1865     Drive  made  round  Pendennis  Castle. 


236  Old  fiiliiioiilll. 

1865     July  loth.     H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Cornwall  and  Grand  Duke 

Alexis  visited  Faimoutli,  1866. 
1865     March.     Hoard  of  960  Roman  Brass  Coins,  A.D.  306,  found 

at  Pennance  Head. 

1865  Fire  at  Masonic  Lodge,  destroying  valuable  paintings,  etc. 
1806      February  loth.     Mabe  Church  injured  by  lightning. 

1806     Working  Men's  Club  and  Institute  at  Bell's  Court  opened. 

1866  Wesleyan  Chapel  built  at  Pike's  Hill. 

1866  Chamber  of  Commerce  founded. 
1806     New  Gas  Works  opened. 

1867  Falmouth  Observatory  established  by  the  Royal  Cornwall 

Polytechnic  Society  ;   (first  Meteorological)  maintained 
by  grant  from  the  Meteorological  Council. 

1867     Life-boat  established  ;  launched  August  29th. 

1867     Bible  Christian  Chapel  built. 

1867     Wesleyan  Chapel  built  at  Pike's  Hill. 

1867  Three  wrecks  at  Gyllyngvase,  and  damage  to  shipping. 
i868     Royal  Cornwall  Home  for  Destitute  Girls  built. 

1868  March  14th.     Bank  House  burnt  down. 

1868  June  1st.     Exhibition    of    Bath    and     West    of     England 

Agricultural  Society. 

1869  St.  Mawes  Steamboats  established. 

1869     Roman  Catholic  Church  built  in  Killigrew  Street. 

1869  Earle's  Retreat  built  for  aged  persons,  by  Mr.  George  Earle, 

of  Philadelphia,  U.S.A.,  and  Falmouth. 

1870  June  5th.     Great  Fire  at  Market  Street. 

1870  Harbour  Board. 

1871  New   landing  places  at  Fish  Strand  and  Market  Strand 

built.     At  the  latter    a   sub-marine   forest   discovered. 
Foundation  stones  laid  by  Lord  Kimberley. 
1871     Pcnwerris  Day  Schools  opened. 

1871  TheKilligrewObelisk  removed  to  green  in  front  of  Arwenack. 

1872  Royal  Cornwall  Yacht  Club  opened  (1874  also  given). 

1873  Direct  Spanish  Telegraph  established. 
1873     Friends'  New  Meeting-house  built. 
1873     H.M.S.  .^^JJ*?// removed. 

1873  Volunteer  Drill  Hall  built. 

1874  May  13th.     H.M.S.  Gatiges  arrived. 

1874  Wesleyan  Chapel  rebuilt  in  the  Moor. 

1875  Baptist  Chapel  built  in  Market  Street. 

1876  School  Board  formed. 

1876     Mission  Church   or  Chapel  of-Ease  established   in   Lower 
Killigrew  Street. 


Falmouth  Chronology.  237 

1877  Kimberley  Park  presented  by  the  Earl  of  Kimberley 
1877-8  Trevethan  Girls'  and  Infants'  Board  Schools  built. 

1878  August  14th.     Portrait  of  Mr.  R.  R.  Broad,  Senr.,  presented 

by  Lord  Nortbbrook  at  banquet  at  the  Royal  Hotel. 
1 88 1     Congregational  Sunday  School  erected  in  Prince  Street. 

1881  Climatological  Station  established  at  Observatory. 

1882  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  founded. 
1882     Girls'  British  School  (Clare  Terrace)  opened  in  May. 
1882     Jubilee  Exhibition  of  the  Polytechnic  Society. 

1882  The  Rev.  Brian  Christopherson  became  Rector. 

1883  Cottage   Hospital   and    Nursing   Home   founded  by  Mrs. 

FitzGerald. 
1883     Church  Institute  founded. 

1883  Cornwall  Volunteer  Artillery  established. 

1884  August  i2th.     Foundation  stone  of  second  Meteorological 

Observatory  laid  by  Earl  of  Mount  Edgcumbe. 

1885  New  Masonic  Hall  built,  opened  in  1886. 

1885  Falmouth  lost  one  Member  of  Parliament  by  the  Redistri- 

bution of  Seats  Act. 

1886  Self-recording  magnetographs  placed  in  new  Observatory. 

1887  High  School  for  Girls  built. 
1887     Recreation  Ground  opened. 

1887     Jubilee  of  Queen  Victoria's  reign  celebrated. 

1887  Visit    of    H.R.H.    the    Prince    of    Wales,   who    laid    the 

foundation  stone  of  All  Saints'  Church. 

1888  Good  Templars'  Lodge  founded. 
1899     Consecration  of  All  Saints'  Church. 

1890  All  Saints'  Church  opened. 

1891  March  9th  and  loth.    Great  Snow  Blizzard.     Trains  snowed 

up  in  Cornwall. 
1891     Census,  2,400  houses,  and  over  10,000  inhabitants  (excluding 
ships). 

1891  Association  for  befriending  Young  Servants  founded. 

1892  Order  of  Rechabites  founded. 
1892     Maria  Camilla  School  closed. 

1892     May  20th.    Broad  gauge  altered  to  narrow  on  G.W^.R.,from 

Exeter,  in  50  hours. 
1892     Extension  and  consolidation  of  the  Borough. 

1892  Bequest  of  nearly  ;^2,ooo  from  Mr.  Octavius  Ferris  for  a 

Free  Library. 

1893  Mission  Church  in  Killigrew  Street  repaired  and  opened. 
1893     May  3rd.     Foundation  stone  of  Falmouth  Hospital  laid  by 

Mr.  Passmore  Edwards. 


238  Old  Fahnoiilh. 

i8g3  July.     Pendennis  Hotel  opened. 

i89;>  The  Mayor's  g'old  chain  purchased  for  ;^I25. 

1894  Municipal   Building  and   Free   Library  built  by  Passmore 

Edwards. 

1894  Falmouth  Sailinj:;-  Club  founded. 

1894  R.C.  A<;-ricultural  Show  held  at  Falmouth. 

1894  Art  Gallery  built. 

1894  Golf  Club  and  Links  at  Higher  Argal ;  removed  to  Higher 

Kergillick  in  1898. 

1895  "  Buffaloes  "  Lodge  founded. 

1895  Presentation  of  his  portrait  and  some  plate  to  Mr.  Thos. 

Webber,  "  eight  times  Mayor  of  Falmouth." 

1896  March  9th,  Science  and  Art  Rooms  opened  in  Municipal 

Buildings. 

1897  Board  School  for  boys  built  at  Wellington  Terrace. 

1897     Smithick  (Infants')  Board  School  purchased  from  Trustees 

of  British  School. 
1897     January  i6th,  the  Falmouth  Rector's  rate  abolished  as  such 

by  special  Act  of  Parliament 
1897     Diamond  Jubilee  (60  years)  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Victoria 

celebrated.     Bonfires  on  aH  heights. 

1897  Time-ball  fixed  at  Pendennis  Castle. 

1898  Restoration  of  Parish  Church  completed.    The  tower  struck 

by  lightning  without  damage. 
1898     March  26th.     Fire  at  Ellerslie.  Melville  Road. 
1898     PacketiMemorial  erected  in  the  Moor,  and  unveiled  Nov.  i8th. 

1898  Wreck  of  the  ss.  Mohegan  on  the  Manacles,  and  loss  of  106 

lives. 

1899  H.M.S.  Ganges  left  Falmouth,  August  28th. 
1899     Stranding  of  the  ss.  Paris  near  the  Manacles. 

1899     May    26th.     Devon    and    Cornwall    Regiment,     marching 

through  Cornwall,  received  at  Falmouth. 
1899     Gallery,  etc.,  added  to  Drill  Hall. 

1899  October  6th.     First  Conversazione  of  Polytechnic  Society 

held  (alternately  with  Exhibition). 

1900  Rifle  Club  formed. 

1901  January  26th.     King  Edward  VIL  proclaimed. 

1901  August  19th.  Art  School  commenced  in  Manor  Avenue, 
in  memoriam  Ann.\  Maki.\  Fox  ;  stone  laid  by  Lord 
St.  Levan. 

1901  Church  House  in  memoriam  E.  D.  Anderton  opened  in 
Arwenack  Street. 

1901     New  Police  Station  built  in  the  Moor. 

1901  Census  taken  ;   Falmouth  population,  11,773. 

1902  Old  King's  Arms  Inn  pulled  down  at  Market  Strand. 


MAYORS    OF    FALMOUTH* 


Thomas  Holden 

1664 

Thomas  Holden 

^695 

William  Ellyot            -     i 

665 

Thomas  Tresahar 

[696 

Michael  Russell 

[666 

Robert  Corker    - 

[697 

William  Arundell        -     i 

[667 

Joseph  Hext       -         -     i 

[698 

Theophilus  Willy 

668 

John  Seccombe  - 

[699 

Benjamin  Pendar 

[669 

John  Netherton 

[700 

Thomas  Holden          -     ) 

670 

Robert  Williams         -     1 

701 

John  Newman    -         -     i 

671 

Joseph  Wickham        -     ] 

702 

Michael  Russell         -     i 

672 

Joseph  Hext       -         -     j 

703 

Bryan  Rogers     - 

[673 

Joseph  Wickham        -     1 

704 

William  Arundell       -     i 

[674 

Robert  Corker    -         -     i 

705 

Benjamin  Pender       -     i 

675 

Peter  Pender      -         -     i 

706 

Thomas  Gwin     -        -     i 

[676 

John  Netherton  -         -     ] 

707 

Thomas  Holden         -     i 

677 

Richard  Upton  (Capt.)     ] 

[708 

Bryan  Rogers     - 

[678 

Robert  Corker    -         -     ] 

709 

Thomas  Gwin     -        -     i 

[679 

De  Russell         -        -     ] 

710 

Det  Russell       -        -     i 

680 

William  Hill       - 

[711 

Bryan  Thomson-         -     i 

681 

Joseph  Hext       -         -     ] 

[712 

Thomas  Holden 

[682 

Peter  Pender 

713 

Bryan  Rogers     - 

1683 

John  Netherton  - 

1714 

Thomas  Tresahar 

1684 

Richard  Upton  - 

715 

Thomas  Gwin     - 

[685 

Chambre  Corker 

[716 

Benjamin  Pender 

[686 

Robert  Corker    - 

77 

Robert  Williams        -     i 

687 

De  Russell         -        -     1 

[718 

De  Russell         -        -     ] 

688 

John  Oliver 

719 

Thomas  Holden         -     i 

689 

John  Pye    -         -         -     1 

[720 

Bryan  Rogers     -         -     i 

690 

Job  — 

[721 

Thomas  Tresahar       -     ] 

[691 

Philip  Webber   - 

\']22 

Joseph  Hext 

[692 

Chambre  Corker         -     ] 

723 

John  Seccombe  -        -     i 

693 

Robert  Corker    -         -     1 

724 

Robert  Williams 

[694 

De  Russell         -        -     1 

725 

*  The  names  from   1664  to   1726  are  taken  from  the  Parish  Register ; 
liaptisms  only. 

t  Denise. 


239 


240 

Uld  t 

John  Oliver 

• 

-     1726* 

Henry  Hill 

-     1734 

Captain  Culverden 

-     1736 

Mr.  Hill      - 

-     1738 

William  Willyams 

-     1739 

Lazarus  Steele    - 

-     1740 

Diei'ory  Vivian     - 

-     1740 

William  Hill       - 

-     1741 

William  Pye 

-     1742 

Peter  Hill  - 

- 

John  Willyams  - 

-     1742 

Wm.  Willyams  - 

-     1743 

William  Hill       - 

-     1744 

Mr.  Pye     - 

-     1745-49 

Isaac  Cocart 

•            • 

-     1750 

• 

Stephen  Bell 

-     1768 

Joseph  Hocken  - 

- 

Hug-h  Mulfra 

-     1778 

Michael  Nowell  - 

- 

Joseph  Banfield 

-     1788 

Daubuz  - 

-     1789 

Dr.  Stephen  Luke 

-     1797 

William  Hambly 

-     1798-9 

Stephen   L^sticke 

-     1 800- 1 

Philip  Webber  - 

-     1802-3 

Philip  Webber  - 

-     1803-4 

Joseph  Banfield 

-     1806-7 

Henry  Williams 

-     1807-8 

Edward  Ano^ove 

-     1809-10 

Edward  Anc^ove 

-     1810-11 

Francis  Pender  - 

-     1811-12 

Francis  Pender  - 

-     1812-13 

George  Sncll  Williams 
George  Snell  Williams 
Francis  Pender  - 
George  Snell  Williams 
James  Vivian  Tippet  - 
Andrew  Young  - 
John  Vigurs 
Andrew  Young  - 
William  Carne  - 
John  Vigurs 
William  Carne  - 
John  Dunstan    - 
Ed.  Clifton  Carne 
Ed.  Clifton  Carne 
John  Vigurs 
John  Vigurs 
Thco.  Saml.  Beauchant 
Theo.  Saml.  Beauchant 
James  Cornish   - 
William  Came  - 
William  Carne  - 
William  Carne  - 
Rd.  Southwell  Courtis 
William  Lake    - 
i83.St 

Wm.  Lake    (Jan.  to  May) 

James  Cornish    - 

(May  to  Nov.) 
James  Cornish    - 
Wm.  Henry  Bond 
John  Ellis  - 
Samuel  Blight    - 
Samuel  Blight    - 
Robert  Richards  Broad 


1813-14 

'814-15 

1815-16 

1816-17 

1817-18 

1818-19 

1819 

1819-20 

1820-21 

1820-21 

1821-22 

1822-25 

1823-34 

1824-25 

1825-26 

1826-27 

1827-28 

1828-29 

1829-30 

1830-31 

1831-32 

1832-33 
1833-34 
1834-35 

1836 
1836 

1836 

1837 
1838 

1839 
1840 
1841 


•  This  closes  the  signatures  ;  the  other  names  are  derived  from  various 
documents,  and  from  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  to  1835  they  are 
taken  from  official  documents.  In  the  list  commencing  with  Usticke,  the 
Mayors  were  apparently  elected  on  the  29th  of  September,  and  their  years 
of  office  therefore  cover  portions  of  two  years. 

t  In  this  year  the  Municipal  CorjX)rations  Act  was  passed,  and  the  list 
which  follows  has  been  copied  from  that  recently  made  out  by  Mr.  J.  R. 
Wilmer,  which  is  framed  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  design  by  the  young  artist,  and 
hangs  on  the  walls  of  the  Council  Chamber  in  the  Municipal  Buildings. 


Joseph  Fox 
Stephen  Brougham     - 
Wm.  Richards  Broad 
Wm.  Richards  Broad 
Jas.  Blatch  Cox 
Jas.  Blatch  Cox 
Thomas  Rogers 
Robert  Richards  Broad 
John  Whitter  Tickell- 
John  Ellis  - 
Eli  Cuttance 
Stephen  Brougham     - 
Jas.  Blatch  Cox- 
William  Carne  - 
Samuel  Blight    - 
Jas.  Bennetts  Moorman 
Jas.  Bennetts  Moorman 
Jacob  Olver 
Jacob  Olver 
Jacob  Olver 
Robert  Richards  Broad 
William  Carne   - 
William  Carne    - 
Nathaniel  Fox    - 
Thomas  Webber 
Thomas  Webber 
Jacob  Olver 
William  Selley  - 
Wm.  Henry  Lean 
Wm.  Henry  Lean 
William  Selley  - 
Richd.  ChefFer  Richards 
Richd.Cheffer  Richards 


ayors 

of  Falmouth. 

241 

1842 

Thomas  Webber 

1875 

1843 

Thorrias  Webber 

1876 

1844 

Thomas  Webber 

1877 

1845 

Thomas  Webber 

1878 

1846 

Wm.  Henry  Solomon  - 

1879 

1847 

J.  Chesterfield  Downing 

•  1880 

1848 

J.  Chesterfield  Downing 

1881 

1849 

Thos.  Bullocke  Rundell 

1882 

1850 

Henry  Liddicoat 

1883 

1851 

Richard  Carter  - 

1884 

i8s2 

Richard  Carter  - 

i88s 

1853 

Richard  Carter  - 

1886 

1854 

Albert  Edward  Webber 

1887 

1855 

Albert  Edward  Webber 

1888 

1856 

Joseph  Grose 

1889 

1857 

Joseph  Grose 

1890 

1858 

Joseph  Grose 

1891 

1859 

1891* 

i860 

Thomas  Webber 

1892 

1861 

Thomas  Webber 

1893 

1862 

Henry  Liddicoat 

1894 

1863 

Henry  Liddicoat 

1895 

1864 

Charles  Deeble  - 

1896 

1865 

Charles  Deeble  - 

1897 

1866 

Charles  Deeble  - 

1898 

1867 

(Nov.  to  April) 

1868 

Joseph  Grose 

1899 

1869 

(April  to  Nov.) 

1870 

Fred.  James  Bowles  - 

1899 

1871 

Fred.  James  Bowles  - 

1900 

1872 

Fred.  James  Bowles  - 

1901 

1873 

William  Banks,  M.B. 

1902 

1874 

The  names  of  the  Mayors  in  the  second  list  (1800-35)  were 
taken  from  their  signatures  to  various  documents  (from  1799  to 
1834),  ^o  some  of  which  they  and  other  officials  subscribed  on 
taking  office.  As  these  oaths  and  obligations  are  now  obsolete, 
it  is  of  some  historical  interest  to  give  them.  According  to 
the  Corporation  Act  (13  Charles  IL,  ci.),  no  person  could  be 
"elected  to  office  in  any  corporate  town  who  should  not  within 
one   year  previously   have   taken   the    Sacrament  of  the   Lord's 

*  Extension  of  the  Borough,  including  Falmouth  parish  and  Budock  urban. 


17 


242  Olii  Fahnontli. 

Supper  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Church  of  England,"  and  a 
certificate  signed  by  the  clergyman  and  churchwardens  was  given 
after  the  Mayor  had  conformed  to  this  rite.  The  certificate  on 
stamped  paper,  to  the  value  of  five  shillings,  was  as  follows  :  — 
"  We  the  Minister  and  Church  Wardens  of  the  Parish  and  Parish 
Church  of   Falmouth  in  the  County  of   Cornwall*   Do  hereby 

Certify  that of  the  said  parish  Gentleman  on  Sunday 

the  third  day  of  March  Mth  did  receive  the  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  in  the  Parish  Church  aforesaid  immediately  after 
Divine  Service  and  Sermon  according  to  the  Usage  of  the  Church 
of  England,  In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  subscribed  our 
Hands  the  said  third  Day  of  March  18...  R  H.  Hitchens, 
Minister  of  the  Parish  and  Parish  Church  aforesaid. 

T.  Duckham  (        Church  Wardens  of  the  said  Parish  and 

Joseph  Roberts     )  Parish  Church. 

John  Pollard  and  James  Medlin 

Do  Severally  make  Oath  That  they  did  see  the 

said    in    the    above-written   Certificate 

named  And  who  now  present  hath  delivered  the 
same  into  this  Court,  Receive  the  Sacrament  of 
the   Lord's  Supper  in  the  Parish  Church   afore- 
G.R.  said,  And  that  they  did  see  the  said  Certificate 

subscribed    by   the   said   Minister   and   Church 
Wardens. 

Jno.  Pollard 

Jas.  Medlin." 

In  the  Test  Act  (25  Charles  II.,  cl.),  it  was  provided  that  all 
persons  having  any  ojfices,  civil  or  military,  or  receiving  pay  from 
the  Crown,  or  holding  a  place  of  trust  under  it  should  take  the 
Oaths  of  Allegiance  and  supremacy,  and  subscribe  a  declaration 
against  transubstantiation,  and  also  receive  the  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  according  to  the  usages  of  the  Church  of  England. 
The  provisions  were  extended  by  statutes  of  George  I.  and 
George  II.,  and  repealed  by  Act  of  George  IV.,  c.  17.  The 
formula  as  found  among  the  documents  named,  was  as  follows  :t 

"  Town  of  Falmouth  in  Cornwall  to  wit.  (Names,  dates,  and 
places  filled  in,  in  writing). 

"  At  the  General  Quarter  Sessions  of  the  Peace  of  our  Lord 
the  King,  held  at  the  Guild  Hall  in  and  for  the  said  Town  the 
....    Day  of    October   in  the  Second  Year  of  the  Reign  of  our 

•  Italics,  filled  in,  in  writing, 
t  Sometimes  printed,  sometimes  written. 


Sacrament 
Certificate. 


Mayors  of  Fahnouth.  243 

Sovereign  Lord  George  the  Fourth  by  the  Grace  of  God  of  the 
United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  King,  Defender  of 
the  Faith,  and  in  the  Year  of  our  Lord  18..,  before  {Mayor, 
Deputy-Recorder ,  and  preceding  Mayor  named)  Justices  of  our 
said  Lord  the  King^  assigned  to  keep  the  Peace  in  and  for  the 
said  Town,  and  also  to  hear  and  determine  divers  Felonies, 
Trespasses,  and  other  Misdemeanours  committed  within  the  said 
Town. 

"I,  A.B.,  do  sincerely  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  be 
faithful  and  bear  true  Allegiance  to  His  Majesty  King  George  : 
So  help  me  God. 

"  L  A.B.,  do  swear,  that  I  do  from  my  heart  abhor,  detest, 
and  abjure,  as  impious  and  heretical,  that  damnable  Doctrine 
and  Position,  that  Princes  excommunicated  or  deprived  by  the 
Pope,  or  any  authority  of  the  See  of  Rome,  may  be  deposed  or 
murdered  by  their  subjects,  or  any  other  whatsoever.  And  I  do 
declare,  that  no  foreign  Prince,  Person,  Prelate,  State  or  Poten- 
tate, hath  or  ought  to  have  any  Jurisdiction,  Power,  Superiority, 
Pre-eminence,  or  Authority,  ecclesiastical  or  spiritual,  within  this 
Realm.     So  help  me  God. 

"  I,  A.B.,  do  truly  and  sincerely  acknowledge,  profess,  testify, 
and  declare,  in  ray  conscience,  before  God  and  the  world,  that  our 
Sovereign  Lord  King  George  is  lawful  and  rightful  King  of  this 
Realm,  and  all  other  his  Majesty's  Dominions  thereunto  belong- 
ing.    And  I  do  solemnly  and  sincerely  declare,  that  I  do  believe 
in  my  conscience,  that  not  any  of  the  Descendants  of  the  person, 
who  pretended  to  be  Prince  of  Wales  during  the  life  of  the  late 
King  James  the  Second,  and,  since  his  decease,  pretended  to  be, 
and  took  upon  himself  the  Style  and  Title  of  King  of  England,  by 
the  Name  of  James  the  Third,  or  of  Scotland,  by  the  Name  of 
James  the   Eighth,   or  the    Style   and   Title   of    King  of  Great 
Britain,  hath  any  Right  or  Title  whatsoever  to  the  Crown  of  this 
Realm,  or  any  other  the  Dominions  thereunto  belonging.     And  I 
do  renounce,  refuse,  and  abjure  any  Allegiance  or  Obedience  to 
any  of  them.     And  I   do  swear,  that  I  will  bear  Faith  and  true 
Allegiance  to  His  Majesty  King  George,  and  him  will  defend,  to 
the  utmost  of  my  power,  against  all  traitorous  Conspiracies  and 
Attempts  whatsoever,  which  shall  be  made  against  his   Person, 
Crown,    or    Dignity.     And    I   will   do   my    utmost   endeavour    to 
disclose  and  make  known  to  His  Majesty  and  his    Successors, 
all  Treasons,  and  Traitorous  Conspiracies,  which  I  shall  know  to 
be  against  him  or  any  of  them.     And  I  do   faithfully  promise,  to 
the   utmost   of  my   power,  to  support,  maintain  and  defend  the 


244  ^''^  Falinoiifli. 

Succession  of  the  Crown,  against  the  descendants  of  the  said 
James,  and  against  ail  other  Persons  whatsoever,  whicli  Succes- 
sion, by  an  Act  intituled,  '  An  Act  for  the  further  Limitation  of 
the  Crown,  and  better  securing  the  Rights  and  Liberties  of  the 
Subject,'  is  and  stands  limited  to  the  Princess  Sophia,  Electress 
and  Duchess  Dowager  of  Hanover,  and  the  Heirs  of  her  body, 
being  Protestants.  And  all  these  things  I  do  plainly  and 
sincerely  acknowledge  and  swear,  according  to  these  express 
words  by  me  spoken,  and  according  to  the  plain  and  common 
Sense  and  Understanding  of  the  same  Words,  without  any 
Equivocation,  mental  Evasion,  or  Secret  Reservation  whatsoever. 
And  I  do  make  this  Recognition,  Acknowledgment,  Abjuration, 
Renunciation,  and  Promise  heartily,  willingly,  and  truly,  upon  the 
true  Faith  of  a  Christian.     So  help  me  God. 

"  I,  A.B.,  do  declare  that  I  do  believe  that  there  is  not  any 
Transubstantiation  in  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  or  in 
the  Element  of  Bread  and  Wine  at  or  after  the  Consecration 
thereof  by  any  Person  whatsoever." 

Name  signed,  and  witnessed  by  the  Deputy-Mayor  and  a 
Justice  (of  the  Peace).     (1825). 

The  Oath  of  Abjuration  was  introduced  by  13  William  IIL, 
c.  i6  and  altered  by  6  George  IIL,  c.  53,  and  was  to  be  taken  by 
any  person  entering  upon  any  public  office  or  trust.  By  21  and 
22  Victoria,  c.  48  (1858),  one  form  of  oath  was  substituted  for  the 
oaths  of  Allegiance,  Supremacy,  and  Abjuration.  Examples  of 
the  old  formula  (as  also  found  among  the  above  documents)  : — 

"At  the  Guildhall  of  the  said  Town,  the  14th  day  of  January 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1834. 

"  I do  sincerely  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  be 

faithful  and  bear  true  allegiance  to  His  Majesty  King  William 
the  fourth. 

"  I do  swear  that  I  do  from  my  heart  abhor,  detest, 

and  abjure  as  impious  and  heretical  that  damnable  doctrine  and 
position  that  Princes  excommunicated  or  deprived  by  the  Pope." 
etc.  (as  embodied  in  the  series  of  oaths  above,  down  to  "this 
Realm.")     So  help  me  God."     (1834). 

Also.     "  I ,  do  solemnly  and  sincerely  in  the  presence  of 

God,  profess,  testify,  and  declare  upon  the  true  faith  of  a  Chris- 
tian that  I  will  never  exercise  any  power,  authority,  or  influence 
which  I  may  possess  by  virtue  of  the  office  of  (Mayor,  etc.),  in 
and    for  the   said  Town    of   Falmouth   to   injure    or   weaken  the 


Rectors  of  Falmouth.  245 

Protestant  Church  as  it  is  by  Law  established  in  England,  or  to 
disturb  the  said  Church  or  the  Bishops  and  Clergy  of  the  said 
Church  in  the  possession  of  any  rights  or  priveleges  to  which  such 
Church  or  the  said  Bishops  and  Clergy  are  or  may  be  by  Law 
entitled. 

(Signature) 
At  a  Court  of  Common  Council.     Signed  by  the  Mayor  and 
Deputy  Recorder,  1834. 

With  regard  to  the  Oath  of  Allegiance,  a  new  form  was  sub- 
stituted for  the  older  one  by  21  and  22  Victoria,  c.  48  (1858),  and 
another  was  again  provided  in  1867,  which  was  in  its  turn  super- 
seded by  the  Promissory  Oaths  Act  of  1868,  which  permitted  a 
new  and  shorter  form.  Promissory  Oaths  are  required  to  be 
taken  by  persons  on  their  appointment  to  certain  offices. 

After  the  great  fire  m  London  in  1666.  attributed  at  the  time 
to  Catholic  instigation,  the  oaths  of  allegiance  and  supremacy 
were  imposed  on  many  garrisons,  and  among  them  that  of 
Pendennis. 


RECTORS    OF    FALMOUTH. 


The  Rev.  Francis  Bedford,  1664  to  (ob.  1675). 

The  Rev.  John  Quarme,  1676  to  1678  (ob.  1679). 

The  Rev.  Walter  Quarme,  1678  to  1720. 

The  Rev.  John  Millington  (acted  as  rector  for  a  time). 

The  Rev.  Edward  Walmsley  (for  60  years),  1735  (ob.  1795). 

The  Rev.  John  Watkin  Wilbraham  (non-resident)  (ob.  1828). 

The  Honble.  and  Rev.   W.  Wodehouse,  1828;    non-resident  and 

resigned. 
Curates  in  charge  :  the  Rev.  Richard  Hawkin  Hitchins,   1791  to 

1824-6.     The  Rev.  Lewis  Mathias,  1824  to  1837  (ob.) 
The  Rev.  Wm.  John  Coope,  1830,  inducted  1838  (after  the  advow- 

son  had  been  sold  by  Lord  Wodehouse  to  General  W.  J. 

Coope)  to  1870  (ob.). 
Curates  in  charge  followed  and  the  Rev.  —  Baily  ;  also  the  Rev. 

John  Wright,  appointed  in  1872,  officiated   as  rector  from 

1872  to  1882. 
The  Rev.  Brian  Christopherson  (Canon  of  Truro,  1900),  1882. 


PARLIAMENTARY    ELECTIONS.* 


1766 

Penryn. 

1778 

Penryn. 

1778 

t  r 

1790 

J) 

1820 

)) 

1824 

M 

1830 

)) 

I83I 

)) 

Penryn  first  returned  members  to  Parliament  in  the  7th  year 
of  Edward  VI. 's  reie^n. 

Sir  Edward  Turner. 

Col.  Sir  George  Osborn. 

Wm.  Chaytor. 

Sir  Francis  Bassett  and  —  Glover. 

P.  Grenfell,  H.  Swann  (d.  1824). 

Robert  Stanton. 

Sir  Chas.  Lemon,  J.  W.  Freshfield. 

J.  W.  Freshfield,  C.  Stewart. 

St.   Mawes  first  returned  members  of  Parliament  in  the  5th 
year  of  Elizabeth's  reign. 

St.  Mawes. 

1776  Right  Hon.  Robert  Craggs  (Nugent),  Viscount  Clare. 

1776  Hugh  Boscawen,  Esq. 

1790  Sir  Wm.  Young,  and  Col.  Sinclair. 

1820  Sir  S.  B.  Morland,  Bart,  Joseph  Phillimore,  D.C.L. 

1826  ,,  ,,  ,,      Sir  C.  E.  Carrington. 

1830  G.  G-  W.  Pigott,  Sir  J.  Carrington. 

1831  „  „       Sir  E.  B.  Sugden. 

Members  for  the  County  of  Cornwall  at  these  dates  were  : 

1820     J.  H.  Tremayne,  Sir  Wm.  Lemon,  Bart. 

1825  Sir  Richard  R.  Vyvyan,  Bart. 

1826  „  „  „       E.  W.  W.  Pendarves 

1830  „  ■,  ,,  ,, 

183 1  E.  W.  W.  Pendarves,  —  Lemon. 

•  Earlier  ones  fragmentary. 
246 


Parliamentary  Elections.  247 

Penryn  and  Falmouth. 

1835     Jan.    8th.     Elected,  J.  W.  Freshfield   (464)  ;    and    R.    M. 

Rolfe  (424)  ;  Candidate,  Lord  Tullamore,  397. 
1837     July  26th.     Sir  R.  M.  Rolfe  (503),  J.  W.  Freshfield  (422), 

Captain  Plumridge  (356). 
1841     July  I  St.     Vivian  (465)  ;  Captain  Plumridge  (432)  ;  Howell 

Gwyn,  381  ;  Sartoris  (241). 
1852     July   8th.     Howell    Gwyn     (464) ;    John   Wm.    Freshfield 

(435);  Candidate — Thomas  George  Baring  (339). 
1857     March  26th.    T.  G.  Baring  and  Samuel  Gurney  ;  Candidate 

— Howell  Gwyn. 
1859     April  30th.   T.  G.  Baring  (387) ;  and  Samuel  Gurney  {iT^i)  5 

Candidates — H.  Gwyn  (322)  ;  F.  L.  Foster  (200). 
1866     October   i6th.     Jervoise  Smith  (376)  ;  and  R.  N.   Fowler 

1868  Nov.  1 8th.  R.  N.  Fowler  and  C.  B.  Eastwick  ;  Candidates 
Jervoise  Smith  and  Kirkman  Hodgson.  1869,  Feb.  25th, 
26th.  Trial  of  Election  Petition  against  Messrs.  Fowler 
and  Eastwick  decided  in  their  favour. 

1874  Elected,  D.  J.  Jenkins  (851) ;  and  Henry  Thomas  Cole, 
Q.C.  (784)  ;  Candidates— R.  N.  Fowler  (743)  ;  and  C.  B. 
Eastwick  (646). 

(Representation  reduced  to  one  member). 

1880     March  31st.     D.  J.  Jenkins  (1171);   R.  B.   Brett  (1071)  ; 

Vogel  (882)  ;  Mayne  (765). 
1884     Nov.  26th.    D.  J.  Jenkins  (i  170) ;  Candidate — W.  G.  Caven- 

dish-Bentinck  (1069). 
1886     July  2nd.     W.  G.  Cavendish-Bentinck  (1089)  ;  Candidate — 

D.  J.  Jenkins  (998). 
1892     July  5th.     W.  G.  Cavendish-Bentinck  (1218)  ;  Candidate — 

Arthur  Serena  (880). 
1895     July    i6th.     F.   J.    Horniman    (1050);    Candidate — W.    G. 

Cavendish-Bentinck  (looi). 
1900     Oct.    2nd.     F.   J.    Horniman    (1184);    Candidate — N.    L. 
Cohen  (1164). 


FALMOUTH  COUNTY  COURT. 


Judge  :  George  Granville  Kekewich,  1846  to  (Dec.)  1856.    Regis- 
trar:   Robert   White,  1846  to  Sept.,  1851. 

Judge:  Charles  Dacres  Bevan,  1857  (Jan.)  to  June,  1872.  Regis- 
trar :   Henry  Orlando   BuUmore. 

Judge:  Montague  Bere,  Q.C.,  1872  (June  28)  to  Sept.,  1887. 
Registrar  :  Tobias  Henry  Tilly,  1866,  July  ist,  to  October  12th, 
1866. 

Judge  :  Morgan  Howard,  Q.C.,  1887  (Nov.  14th)  to  April  loth, 
1891.     Registrar:   Harry  Tilly,  1866,  Oct.  25th,  to  Sept.,  1894. 

Judge:  Thomas  Colpitts  Granger,  1891  (Ap.  17).  Registrar: 
Wilson  Lloyd  Fox,  1894,  Oct.  13th. 


RECORDERS.* 


Until  the  year  1864  there  were  Recorders  of  Falmouth,  but 
at  that  date  the  Borough  Quarter  Sessions  which  used  to  be  held 
in  what  is  now  the  Oddfellows'  Hall,  ceased  to  exist. 

Martin  Lister  Killigrew  (the  first  known  ;  probably  the  early  years 

of  the  1 8th  century). 
Lord  Bathurst,  1789. 
Richard  Pidgley  (probably  to),  1809. 
John,  Lord  Wodehouse,  1810,  May  3rd,  to  1834. 
Edward  William  Wynne  Pendarves,  1834  to  1848. 
Herman  Merivale  (appt.  and  resigned),  1848. 
Chas.  D.  Bevan,  1853  to  1857. 
Edward  Wm.  Cox,  1857  to  1864. 

Among  the  Deputy-recorders  were  Sir  Michael  Nowell  (so 
signed  in  1796),  Joseph  Banfield  (1802-3,  and  1810  to  1822),  John 
Carne  (1823  to  1831),  John  Symonds  (1833  to  —  ),  William 
Lake  (1834),  and  Thomas  Paynter  (1834  to  1841) — resigned. 

*  Held  their  quarterly  sessions  in  the  Old  Town  ITall. 

248 


LIST  OF  SUBSCRIBERS.* 


No.  OF 

Copies. 

Adams,  Mrs.  Maxwell,  Newton  Abbott  -              5 

Adams,  Mr.  Maxwell     -                -  -                -       i 

Aylmer,  Major-General        .  .                 -               I 

Bache,  Mr.  a.,  Penzance                -  •                -       i 

Backhouse,  Sir  Jonathan  E.,  Bart.  -               -              i 

Backhouse,  Mr.  E.,  Trebah           -  -                -      2 

Baynes,  Miss,  Minchinhampton  -                -              2 

Banks,  Dr.       -                -                -  -               -      3 

BiBBY,  Mr.  Joseph,  Liverpool  -                -              i 

Blamey,  Dr.,  Penryn      -                -  -                -       1 

Barclay,  Miss,  Mawnan        -  -                -              i 

Barrett,  Mrs.,  Menehay                  -  -       i 

Bassett,  Mrs..  Leighton  Buzzard  -                -              3 

Bolitho,  Mr.  Horton,  Penniere    -  -                -       1 

Bowles,  Mr.  F.  J.    -               -  -               -             4 

Broad,  Mr.  Cecil  R.      -                -  -               -       i 

Broad,  Mr.  Charles,  Uxbridge  -                -              i 

Broad,  Mr.  Herman      -                -  -               -      i 

Broad,  Mr.  Sydney                 -  -                -              i 

Bullmore,  Miss,  Exmouth            -  -                -       i 

Bullmore,  Mr.  Ernest          -  -                -              2 

Bushnell,  Mrs.,  Plymouth            -  -                       i 

Cardew,  Mrs.  Ambrose         -  -                              i 

Carlyon,  Rev.  Philip    -               -  -               -       i 

Carne,  Mr.  W.  Naylor,  Rosemundy  -                -              6 

Castle,  Mrs.  Boddam,  Clifton      -  -                -       3 

Chapman,  Mr.  S.,  London       -  -                -              1 

Ching,  Mr.  S.  J.,  G.P.O..  London  -  -                -       i 

Christoe,  Mrs.         .                .  .                .               i 

*  Where    not    otherwise    designated,    the   subscribers   reside   in   or   near 
Falmouth. 

249 


250  Old  Faluiouih. 


No.  OP 
Copies. 


Chkistopherson,  Kev.  Canon 

Cooi^E,Uns.V^.,  St.  Austell  -                -                -2 

CoooF,  Miss,  St.  Ives               .  .                .               j 

Cox,  iMk.  Newbkkky       -  -                -                -I 

Davis,  Miss  M.,  Henley-on-Thames         -  -               3 

DowDLE,  Mr.  J.  B.,  Melbourne  -                 -                 -       i 

Downing,  Mr.  J.  C.                 -  -                -              2 

Downing,  Mr.  G.  C.  Cardiff  -                -                .       i 

DuNSTONE,  Miss       -                -  -                -              i 

Dymond,  Mrs.,  Gloucestershire  -                -                -       i 

Dyneley,  Mrs.,  Canterbury     -  .                 .               5 

Envs,  Mr.  John  D.,  Enys  -                -                .2 

Fansh.uve,  Col.,  Bath             -  -                 -              i 

Fayrer,  Sir  Joseph,  Bart.,  London  -               -      i 

Fox,  Mrs.  A.  Lloyd,  London  -                -               i 

Fox,  Mr.  cm.                -  -                 -                 .3 

Fox,  Mrs.  Elton,  Keswick     -  -                -              i 

Fox,  Mr.  G.  H.                -  -                .                .1 

Fox,  Mr.  Howard  -                ...  5 

Fox,  Mr.  N.         -            -  .                .                .5 

Fox,  Mr.  Robert    -                -  -                              8 

Fox,  Mr.  R.  Barclay     -  -                .                        i 

Fox,  Mr.  Sylvan  us,  Wellington  -                               i 

Fox,  Mr.  W.  L.               -  -                -                .2 

Free  Library,  Falmouth        -  -                -              2 

Freeman,  Miss                -  -               -                .       i 

Gay,  Miss  C.  C.        -                -  -                .              4 

Gayner,  Miss,  Bristol      -  -                -                .       j 

Genn,  Miss               -                -  -                -              i 

GiBBiNS,  Mr.  F.  J.,  Neath  -                -                .       i 

Green,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  London     -  -                -              2 

Green,  Fleet-Paymaster,  R.N.,  Portsmouth               -       i 

Gregson,  Mr.  Jas.,  London      -  -                -              i 

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List  of  Subscribers.  251 


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Grylls,  Mr.  W.  M.                -  -                -              i 

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Haslope,  Mrs.,  Torquay         -  -                 -               i 

Hayward,  Mr.  C.  F.,  Ling  field     -  -                -       i 

Hensley,  Rev.  E.,  Penmorva  -                 -               5 
Heelis,  Mr.  T.  L.  {Hon.  Sec.  Penzance  Public  Library)     1 

Hext,  Mr.  Charles  H.,  Bodmin  -                -              i 

HocKEN,  Miss,  Exeter     -  -                       i 

Hodge,  Rev.  W.  H.,  Budock  -  -                -              i 

HoDGKiN,  Mrs.,  N  or  thumb  er  I  and  -  -                 -2 

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KiRKNESS,  Mr.  W.    -                   -  -                   .                 I 

Lean,  Mrs.       -                -                -  -                -       i 

Ledgard,  Mrs.,  London          -  -                -              i 

Leverton,  Rev.  H.  L.,  Mazvnan  -  -                -       1 

Libby,  Captain,  R.N.               -  -                -              i 

LuARD,  Major,  R.E.        -                -  -                -       i 


MacGregor,  Miss,  Abbethune,  N.B.  -  -              i 

Mansel,  Mr.  H.               -                -  -  -       i 

Martin,  H.  A.,  M.D.,  Surbiton  -  -              i 

Melvill,  Miss  E.  C,  Bournemouth  -  -       i 

Montgomery,  J.  B.,  M.D.,  Penzance  -  -              i 

MoNTGOMERiE,  HuGH  M.,M.D.,  Penzance  -  -       i 

Mortimer,  Mrs.,  Bristol          -  -  -              i 


252  Old  Falmouth. 

NoRKis,  Mk.  W.  G.,  Coalbrookdale 

Owen,  Miss,  Ampthill 

Palmer,  Miss.  Buxton     - 

Passingham,  Miss,  Truro 

Passisghwi,  Mrs.,  So7tt/iamplon    - 

Paynter,  Mr.  G.,  Stamford   Hill 

Pease,  Mrs,  Newcastle    - 

Peter,  Mr.  Thurston'  C,  Redruth 

Philp,  Mrs.      .  -  .  . 

Phillips,  Miss  M.  E..  Tottenham 

Powell,  Mrs.  T.  Wade,  Cumberlatui 

Preece,  Sir  W.,  K.C.B.,  Wimbledon      - 

Price,  Miss  A.,  Neath     - 

PuLLEN,  Mrs.,  Plymouth 

Randolph,  Prebendary  Hingeston,  Ringmore 
Rashleigh,  Mr.  E.  W.,  Par   - 
Rich,  Mr.  J.  D.,  St.  Helen's,  Lane. 
Ridgway,  Col. 
Rogers,  Mrs.  J.  Jope 
Rogers,  Rev.  Canon,  St.  Austell 
Rogers,  Mrs.  W.- 
Rogers, Mr.  R.N.    - 
Rogers,  Miss  Ellinor,  Penzance  - 
Rogers,  Mrs.  Powvs,  Perranwell 
Rogers,  Mr.  G.  E.  B.,  Reading 

Seebohm,  Mrs.  B.,  Hitchin     - 
Sharpe,  Mr.  W. 
Smith,  Mr.  J.  W.,  Gyllyngvase 
SouTHALL,  Miss,  Ross 
Stephens,  Mrs.,  ^.y^/^(?/(/ 
Sterling,  Miss  Julia,  The  Crag     - 
Stuart,  Mrs.,  London 
Sturge,  Mrs.  R.  F.,  Clifton 
Squire,  Mrs.  A.,  Richmond     - 


No.   OF 

Copies. 


List  of  Subscribers,  253 

No.   OF 

Copies. 

Tangye,  Sir  Richard,  Kingston-on-Thafnes  -       i 

Target,  Commander,  R.N.      -                -  -              i 

Terry,  Miss  F.  G.            -                -                -  -       i 

Thomas,  Mr.  J.  C,  Trewince          -                -  -       i 

Tonkin,  Mrs.,  Penwarne         -                -  -              2 

Tregelles,  Miss             -                -               -  -       i 

Tregelles,  Mr.  E.  S.,  Penarth,  Wales  -               i 

Tresidder,  Mr.  W.  Tolmie,  Sl  Ives             -  -       i 

Tresidder,  Captain  T.  J.,  London         -  -              2 

Tuckett,  Mrs.,  Twyford                 -                -  -      4 

Tuckett,  Mr.  F.  F.,  Frenchay               -  -               i 

Tuke,  Mr.  H.  S.               -                -                -  -       2 

Vivian,  Sir  A.  Pendarves,  K.C.B.,  Bosahan  -              i 

Vyvyan,  Rev.  Sir  Vyell,  Bart.,  Trelowarren  -       i 

Vyvyan,  Mr.  Henry,  Par        -                -  -              i 

W.     -                -                -                -                -  -       I 

Wade,  Mr.  W.  C,  Plymouth  -                -  -              i 

Webber,  Mr.  G.,  Devonport           -                -  -       2 

Wilmer,  Mr.  F.  J.  -                -               -  -              i 

Williams,  Mr.  F.  A.  {Padstow),  G.P.O.,  Bristol  -       i 

Wilson,  Mrs.  Eyres,  London                 -  -              2 
Wright,  Mr.  W.  W.  {Free  Public  Library,  Plymouth)       i 


INDEX. 


[Note. — The  Index  does  not  include  all  the  names  and  items  in  the  Chronology, 
etc.  /  after  figures  signifies  that  the  subject  continues  on  the  pages  following  ; 
«,  tli.it  it  is  referred  to  in  foot-note.] 


Allison,  Matthew,  1 08. 

Aviazon,  mail  steamer,  158 n. 

Anderton,  E.  D.,  memorial,  238. 

Anson,  H.M.S.,  226. 

Artillery,  Volunteer,  29,  30,  91, 
106.  '237. 

Arundel,  Sir  John,  24,  31. 

Arundel,  Colonel  John,  24 ;  de- 
fends Pendennis  Castle,  25,  178. 

Arundel,  Colonel  Richard,  27,  28, 
178. 

Arundel,  John  (Lord  Arundel),  28. 

Arundel,  John  [?  Robert],  82. 

Arwenack,  Manor,  3,  7,  1 1  ;  house 
set  on  fire,  13;  story  of  secret 
passage,  14  ;  suffers  in  Civil  War 
of  Charles  I.,  21,  35  ;  dilapidated 
state  of,  67,  no;  extent  of  es- 
tate, III,  112;    173,  187. 

Arwenack,  John  of,  8,  9. 

Arwenack,  Robert,  Lord  of,  11,  175 

"  .^rwinnack,"  .Simon  of,   175. 

Astrea,  guardship,   I4O,  207,  234. 

Atwell's  Cave,  29. 

Banfield,  Thos.,  76  ;    Mr.,  163. 

Banks,  Dr.  William,  171,  226. 

Barclay,  David,  155. 

Bar  Mills,  76. 

Baring,  T.  G.  (Ix)rd  Northbrook), 

165. 
Bassett,  Mr.,  99  ;  death  of,  102. 
Bastian,  Henry  C,  M.D.,  207. 
Bawden,  Mr.,  83. 
Bearslye,    Peter,    73. 
Bcauclerk,  General,  28. 
Beckford,  — ,  his  travels,  quoted,  60. 
Bedford,  Rev.  John,  38,  39. 
Bedford,  Rev.  Francis,  inscription 

in  church,  46  ;  182. 
Bell,   family  of,   78,   84,  85,   194; 

Captain,  84  ;    .Stephen,  83,    108, 

194,  203;  George,  84,  194,  203. 


Bell's  Court,  85. 
Berkeley,  Hon.  Charles,  18. 
Black  Rock,  pole  on,  226. 
Bluett  (Blewett),    family    of,    13/, 

146,   147,   177;    Lady  Jane  (n^e 

Fermor,  Killigrew),  13  ;  Captain 

Francis,  13;    John,  14;   James, 

108;  Richard,  129,  177. 
Blundstone,  Robert,  104. 
Boscawen,  Rt.   Hon.   Hugh   (Lord 

Falmouth),  21  n. 
Boslowick,  3. 
Boulderson,  family  of,  3,  115,  146, 

197. 
Bown,  Captain  Peter,  7,  75,   115, 

196  ;  family  of,  196. 
Braithwaite,  125. 
Broad,  family  of,    168,    1 70,   223  ; 

Robert  Richards,  169,  223,  237. 
Bronescombe,  Bishop,  8,  10. 
Brougham,  Matthew,  207. 
Buckingham,  James  Silk,  131. 
Buckly,  General,  28. 
Buckley,  Richard,  87. 
Budock,  7,  8,  54  ;  map  of,  174. 
Bull,    family   of,    116,    141,    198; 

Captain    James,    98,    104,    141, 

146,  198,  202  ;    Mrs.  James  (n^e 

Tippet),  3;    Captain  John,  119, 

141,  198,  209. 
Bull  more,  family  of,  1 40,  206  ;  Dr. 

King,  206. 
Bunny,  John,  81. 
Burgess,  Col.  Isaac,  30,  I46,  I96. 
Bryce,  William,  143. 
Byron,  Lord,  132. 

Camin,  John,  73,  147,  218  ;  family 

of,  148,  218. 
Camden,  packet,  14  n. 
Canon's  Well,  51. 
Carclew  estate,  53. 
Carey,  Captain,  135. 


254 


Index. 


255 


Came,  Richard,  lOi,  113;  family 
of,  147,  148,  218  ;  William,  3  ; 
William  Naylor,  148. 

Carnsews,  7. 

Carverth,  family  of,  224. 

Castle,  Mrs.  Boddam,   16. 

Catchfrench,  219. 

Charles  II.,  at  Prideaux  Place,  178  ; 
imprisoned  at  Pendennis,  25,  228. 

Christopherson,  Rev.  B.,  227,  237, 

245- 
Chronology  of  Falmouth,  228-238. 

Clarke,  Captain,  98. 
"  Clawgye,"  54. 
Clies,  family  of,  i  IS- 
Clies,  Captain  Masterman,  82,  115. 
Clinton,  Lord  (Trefusis),  122. 
Cocart,  Captain  Isaac,  74,  93,  117. 
Cock,  Richard,  54,  56,  79. 
Cock's  "Great  House,"  55,  73,  I5in. 
Cock's  "  Smaller  House,"  53. 
Cock,  Captain,  209. 
Collins,  J.  H.,  quoted,  151. 
Collins,  James,  134. 
Collins,  Rev.  John,  195. 
Coope,  family  of,  17 1,  245. 
'Corgillick"  (Kergillick),  7. 
Corker,  Robert,  I  in,  35,  51;    his 

"Great  House,"  52 ;  53,  61,  63, 

146,  147,  184,  191,  229 ;  Thomas, 

63  n,  184. 
Cornish,  James,  164. 
County  Court  Judges,  248. 
Courtize,  (Courtes,  Curteys),  family 

of,  80,  81,  194. 
Cox,  Newberr^^,  212/,  214. 
Croker,  family  of,  220. 
Crouch,  William,  157. 
Cunningham,  Dr.,  87. 
Curgenven,  family  of,  166,  167,  233. 
Custom     House,     removed     from 

Penryn,  33,  35. 

Daubuz,  family,  73,  74,  89,    lOl, 

192-3. 
Davis,  Mr.,  53,  60. 
Davis,  Richard,  83,  84,  85,  90,  92, 

99, 103, 106,  109,  no.  Ill,  1 5 in. 
Deaddeshares,  180. 
Deeble,  Thomas,  50,  76. 
Dillon,  family  of,  115,  125, 131, 196. 
Disraeli,   Benjamin,  at  Falmouth, 

164. 
Doctors,  86,  195. 
Downing,  family  of,  163. 


Draper,  Rev.  Francis,  56  n. 
Draper,  Giles,  56,  180. 
Draper,  Mr.,  34,  35  ;  James,  187. 
Duke  of  Montrose,  packet,  209. 
Dunbar,  Major,  17. 
Dyneley,  Captain  Birt,   133,  209  ; 
presentation  vase,  201. 

Edwards,  Passmore,  237. 

Elliot,  Jacob,  73  ;  Mrs.  Elliott,  163. 

Elliot,  William,  180. 

Ennis,  10  w. 

Enys,  811;    J.  D.,    178,   179,  210, 

227. 
Erisey,  family  of,  iSf, 62,  iJSf,  188; 

Richard,  17/,  62;  Frances,  17/; 

Mary  (see  also  West),  18,  no. 
Earle,  Chief  Justice,  128. 
Erme,  St.,  lO,  II. 
Espriella,  Letters  of,  137,  143  n. 
Exmouth,  Lord,  119,  132,  199  (see 

also  Pellew,  Sir  Edward). 

Fairfax,  Sir  Thomas,  besieges  Pen- 
dennis Castle,  25,  228. 

Fal,  origin  of  name,  33. 

Falck,  Barnet,  146,  196,  199,  225  ; 
family  of,  147  ?i,  199;  Frances 
{nee  Goodridge),  123,  128,  129, 
130;  John  Goodridge,  129  n,  15I5 
199;  Niels,  128,  129,  199. 

Falmouth,  early  years,  31/,  228, 
229  ;  ferry,  34  ;  parish  churchy 
35,  71,  191,  229/;  custom- 
house, 35,  229 ;  submerged 
wood,  36  :  old  water  mill,  36  ; 
landing  pier,  36  ;  oldest  house, 
37  ;  Bell's  Court,  37 ;  parish 
church  registers,  37/,  19 1  ;  fires, 
89/,  196,231/;  volunteer  artil- 
lery, 91,  196 ;  doctors,  19S ; 
inns,  104 ;  distress  in,  107 ; 
newspapers,  160 ;  Bible,  163  ; 
maps  of,  173,  174  ;  haven,  179  ; 
charter  of,  180  ;  town  clerkship, 
186  ;  postal  service,  85,  143,  204, 
212/,    214;     observatory,    222, 

237  ;  docks,  223  ;  constitution 
of,  226,  229 ;    chronology,  228- 

238  ;  mayors  of,  239-245  ;  rec- 
tors of,  245  ;  parliamentary  elec- 
tions, 246 ;  recorders,  248 ; 
County  Court,  248  (see  also 
Smithick) 

Fenwick,  Colonel,  28,  29, 


256 


Old  Fahnonth. 


Ferris,  Octavius,  bequest  of,  237. 
Fires.  89  A  iq6,  231.  234,  235,  236. 
Fire-engine,  91. 
Flonj,  fri};;ite,  155. 
Klusliing  ferry,  34,  1 45. 
Fortescue,  Col.  Richard,  27. 
Fox,  family  of,  149160.  219-221. 
Vox,  Alfred,  152,  157,  220. 
Fox,  Anna  Maria,   150,   160,  221, 

238. 
Fox,  Barclay,  157. 
Fox.  Caroline,  1 50. 
Fox,  Catharine  Peyton,  221. 
Fox,  Charles,  2  20,  221. 
Fox,  Captain  John,  27,  219. 
Fox,  Elizabeth,  152,  220. 
Fox,  Gcortje  (the    founder  of  the 

Quakers),  visits  Falmouth,  229. 
Fox,  George,  of  Par,  219/. 
Fox,  George  Croker,  lOO,  102,  129, 

I49n,  157.  220;   Mrs.,  152. 
Fox,  Howard,  6,  16,  150,  157,  188  ; 

Mrs.  Howard,  153  n. 
Fox,  Joseph,  surgeon,  87,  159.  220. 
Fox,  Dr.  Joseph,  159,  220. 
Fox,  Joshua,!  13, 150, 153, 154,220. 
Fox,  Mary,  her  Sedan  chair,  152. 
Fox,  Nathaniel,  36,  158,  159,   163, 

220. 
Fox,  Robert  Were,    156,  219,  220; 

Jun.  150/,  156,  159. 
Fox,  Robert,  153  «. 
Fox,  Wilson  L.!  162,219,221,  222. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  at  Falmouth, 

230. 
Freeling,  Sir  G.  Henry,  217. 
French  fleet  off  Falmouth,  21,  92, 

137.   153/- 

Ganges,  H.M.S.,  236,  238. 
Garibaldi,  General,  visit  of,  235. 
Gay,   William   (Senior),   139,    14O, 

203,  204,  226  ;  William  (Junior), 

204.  205,206,  215. 

Genn,    Mrs.,    153,     164;    William 

James,  165. 
"  Gillanvasc  House,'  81. 
Glasney  College,  7,  lO,  173. 
Glendurgan,  150. 
Godolphin,  Lord,  8. 
Godolphin,  Sir  Francis,  31. 
Goodridge,  Captain  John,  121,  124, 

126;    Frances,    124,    125,    126, 

128  (see  also  Falck). 
Granville,  Miss,  134. 


Oranville,  packet,  120,  198,  208. 

*  Great  Houses,"  54. 

Great  Pearl,  privateer,  61. 

Green,  Captain,  115. 

Green,  Capt.  Wm.  P.,  135  /,  202. 

Green,  John  W.,  136,  202. 

Gross,  William,  7. 

Grove  Hill,  3,  149,  151  »i,  152,  230. 

Grove  Place,  60. 

Groube,  Thomas,  74  ;  Samuel,  lOl, 
108. 

Guppy,  Dr.,  140  ;  family  of,  207. 

Gutheridge,  James,  151. 

Gwatkin,  farnilvof,  182. 

Gwennop,  family  of,  80. 

Gwin,  Thomas,  40;  John,  Meeting- 
house, 88 ;  Michael,  77. 

Gwyn,  Daniel,  55,  61,  139,  203. 

Gylling  Vase,  6,  228. 

Gylling  Dune,  1-6. 

H.\LL,  Abraham,  steward  of  Arwen- 
ack,  quoted,  52,  59,  67  n,  68,  86, 
91,  100,  108,  no.  III,  1x6,  117, 
161,  183,  187,  188,  190. 

Hall,  Captain,  terrible  voyage  of, 
203. 

Halse,  Sir  Nicholas,  23  n,  31. 

Hambly,  William,  81. 

Hamilton,  Duke  of,  imprisoned  at 
Pendennis,  228. 

Harris,  Peter  Brown,  7,  115; 
family  of,  196,  I98. 

Hawke,  family  of,  165,  223. 

Hawking,  family  of,  79. 

Heame,  Benjamin,  74,  79,  194. 

Henrietta  Maria,  Queen,  at  Pen- 
dennis, 22S. 

Henrv  VHI.,  visit  to  Pendennis, 
228. 

Hensley,  Rev.  E.,  173,  227. 

Hill,  family  of,  72,  93. 

Hill,  Elizabeth,  181,  182. 

Hill,  Sir  Rowland,  217. 

Hinchinhrooke,  packet,  209. 

Hitchins,  family  of,  224  ;  "Parson,' 

179.245- 
Hocken,  family  of,  81,  90,  103,  104, 

194. 
Hodge,  Samson,  32. 
Hooton,  family  of,  187,  196;  John, 

80,  187. 
Horniman,   F.    J.,    M.P.,   provides 

loan  for   extinction  of   Rector's 

Rate,  45. 


Index. 


257 


Hosken,  Lieut.  James,  136. 
Hungarian,  loss  of,  235. 


Jago,    Rev.   W.,    131,    219,    211, 

227. 
James,  Captain,  209. 
Jeffery,  John,  166. 
Jefiery,  Henry  Martyn  166. 
Jennings,  Ambrose,  34,  35,  38,  51  ; 

burial  of,  82. 

Kempe,  James,  51. 

Kempe,  Nicholas,  5 1/. 

Kempthorne,  family  of,  197,  198; 
Captain  William,  120,  122,  123; 
his  watch,  124,  131,   198,  208. 

Kent,  wreck  of,  157/,  233  ;  medal, 
158,222. 

Kergillick  ("  Corgillick  "),  7,  8,  lOn., 
88. 

Kidd,  Captain,  133. 

Killignock  (Checkenock),  family  of, 
122. 

Killigrew,  family  of,  7  / ;  origin  of 
name,  1 1 ;  the  last  of,  48  / ;  gifts 
to  church  by,  71  ;  extent  of  es- 
tate, III  ;  MS.,  166,  187  ;  maps, 
174;  early  history  of,  174/; 
monuments,  178,  188 ;  letters, 
188. 

Killigrew,  Anne,  17  ;  Dryden's  ode 
on,  19. 

Killigrew,  Frances,  1 7,  18  (see  also 
Erisey). 

Killigrew,   George,   killed   in  duel, 

.17,  49- 

Killigrew,  George,  175- 

Killigrew,  Sir  Henry,  19,  176. 

Killigrew,  Lady  Jane,  12,  13,  15, 
18,  175  (see  also  Bluett). 

Killigrew,  John  de,  10,  11  n. 

Killigrew,  John  (the  first).  Cap- 
tain   of    Pendennis    Castle,    II, 

22,  175. 

Killigrew,   John   (the  second),    12, 

23,  175- 

Killigrew,    Sir    John    (the    third), 

10,  20,  23,  175. 
ELilligrew,  Sir  John    (the   fourth), 

entertains    Sir    Walter    Raleigh, 

12  ;   erects  lighthouse  at  Lizard, 

15  ;  31,  48,  64,  175. 
Killigrew,  Mary,  act  of  piracy  of, 

IS  ;   tomb,  23. 


Killigrew,  Martin  Lister  (Lister), 
11,17^35,45,49/;  steward  of 
Arwenack,  49  ;  erects  Pyramid, 
59,  64;  death,  65  n;  66,  109, 
142,  144,  17s/,  187,  230. 

Killigrew,  Sir  Peter  (the  first), 
13,  14,  16,  20,  33/;  protests 
against  Rector's  tax,  44  ;  builds 
church,  45;    48,  64,   175/,  191- 

Killigrew,  Sir  Peter,  Bart,  (the 
second),  16/,  28,  34,  46,  49,  ^4, 

65,  17s  A 
Killigrew,  Ralphe,  8,  II,  174- 
Killigrew,  Sir  Robert,  24.  • 

Killigrew,  Simon  (the  first),  11. 
Killigrew,  Simon  (the  second),  12. 
Killigrew,  Thomas,    12,   175,    178. 
Killigrew,  Sir  William,  Bart.,   15, 

24,  229. 
Killigrew,  Manor  of,  lO,  I  in   (see 

also  Arwenack). 
Kimberley,  Earl  of,   18,   175,  1 90, 

237  (see  also  Wodehouse). 
Kirkness,  Capt.,  13/,  202. 
Kitto,  Edward,  222. 

Laherne  (Lanherne),  Richard  de, 

9- 

Laroche,  Mr.,  ride  to  London,  144. 

Lemon,  Mr.,  52  /. 

Liddicoat,  Mr.,  50n. 

Lillicrap,  Joseph,  surgeon,  87. 

Lister,  Martin  (see  also  Killigrew, 

Martin  Lister),  17,  189. 
Lizard  Lighthouse,  first  erected,  15. 
Lovell,  family  of,    115,   116,   182; 

"Collector,"   83;    Capt.    Robert, 

116. 
Luke,  Dr.  Stephen,  196. 
Lydiard,  Captain,  227. 

MacGregor,  158,  222. 

Mail  Coaches,  143  ;  routes  of,  211. 

Market  Strand,  32,  35,  51. 

Market  House,  56. 

Marlborough,  packet,  119,  132,  I41, 

209. 
Mathias,  Rev.  Lewis,  224. 
Mawes,  St.,  21,  133,  137,  179,  228, 

233- 
Mayors  of  Falmouth,  239-245. 
McDonough,  Captain,  90. 
McLellan,  Thomas,  108. 
Meudon,  88. 
Meagher,  Dr.  William,  88. 


IS 


258 


Old  Fahiioutli. 


Mclvill,  Ca[)l.  rhillip,  28,  29/,  179, 

231- 
Mercury,  packet,  1 1 5. 
Mcrnuiids,  stories  of,  1 60. 
Merrill,  John,  iS,  69,  9I,  1 10. 
Michaels,  Richard,  144. 
Milliiigton,  Rev.  John,  39. 
Millett,  family  of,  125,  197. 
Molirgiin,  wreck  of,  238. 
Monk,  General,  20,  28. 
Montague,  packet,  142,  209. 
Mont£;omery,  Dr.  1 1 5,  227. 
Montpensicr,  Duke  de,  visit  of,  235. 
Moor,  Dr.  James,  219. 
Moorsom,  Capt.,  209. 
M  u  1  her  ry  S(\  uare  ("Corker's  Court") , 

35,82,  146. 
Musgrave,  Thos.  Moore,  139,  203. 
My  lor,  maps  of,  174. 

Nankivel,  family  of,  125,  222. 
Napoleon  at  Falmouth,  137. 
Nelson,  Ix)rd,  visit  of,  132. 
Newman,  Captain,  202. 
North,  Lord,  visit  of,  152. 
Northbrook,  Lord,  223,  237. 
Norway,  family  of,  125. 
Norway,  A.  H.,  quoted.  141,  I42, 

202,  208,  210;   Capt.  John  A., 

130,  142,  209. 
Nowell,  family  of,  77/,  104. 

OriE,  family  of,    10 n;   John,  the 

artist,  161. 
Owen,  Colonel,  28. 

Packet  Service,  83/,  95/,  105, 
114-144;  relics  of,  I4I,  211; 
memorial,  142,  210;  shares  in, 
198;  agents  of,  139,  203  ;  ac- 
tions, 141,  208/. ;  trading,  211. 

Packetsmen,  meetings  of,  119. 

Palairet,  Dominique,  218. 

Paris,  stranding  of,  238. 

Parker,  Sir  Nicholas,  23,  179. 

Parliamentary  elections,  246,  247. 

Passingham,  Capt.,  A.R.L.,  137. 

Pellew,  Samuel,  83,  132,  199  ; 
Capt.,  83,  102,  122,  199;  family 
of,  132,  199;  Sir  Edward  (Lord 
Exmouth),  123,  131,  132. 

Penans,  7. 

Pendarves,  Alexander,  185. 

Pender,  Mr.,  87  ;  family  of,  147. 

Penjerrick,  150. 

Pen  mere,  150. 


Pendennis  Castle,  ll  ;  secret  pas- 
sage, I4  ;  history  of,  21/;  siege 
of,  26  ;  W.  Prynne  imprisoned  in, 
27;    179.  228,  230,  231,  234. 

Penleaze,  William,  38. 

"  Pcnnycomcquick,"  33,  228. 

Penrose,  family  of,  86,   125,   184, 

195- 
Penrose,  Sir  Charles,  86. 
Penrose,  Rev.  John,  86. 
Pcnryn  (Pcnrin,  etc.),  8,  35,  178. 
Penwarne  (Penwarren),  7  ;    family 

of,  174;  Nicholas  de,  7  ;  Richard, 

31  ;  John,  161. 
Permarin  (Pcnryn),  13. 
Perran  Foundry,  220,  221. 
Peter,  Thurston,  C,  8,  lOn.,  195. 
Phoenix, The,  121. 
Philp,  James  C,   167  ;    family  of, 

168. 
Pidgley,  Richard,  82,  23 1. 
Pilchard  fisherv,  88. 
Piatt,  Rowland,  83. 
Plomer,  John,  157. 
Polytechnic  Society,  141,  150,  221, 

222. 
Pooley,  George,  167. 
Porhan  Lane,  32n. 
Porhan  Hill,  32. 
Porteus,  Captain,  116,  198. 
Portugal,  Queen  of,  Visit  of,  151. 
Postal  Service,  85,   143,  204,  212, 

218  (see  also  Packet  Service). 
Press-gang,  92,  125. 
Price,  William,  surgeon,  86. 
Prideaux,  Edmund,  25. 
Princess  Royal,  packet,  208. 
Prislow  (Prisloc),  7,  34. 
Prynne,    William,    imprisoned    in 

Pendennis  Castle,  27. 
Pye,    William,    54,    72,    82,    192; 

John,  72,  93  ;  Anthony,  82. 
Pyramid,  The,  59/,  68,  69,  188. 

QuARME,  Mr.  35  ;  Rev.  Walter,  39 ; 
levies  Rector's  Rate,  43/;  61, 
142,  181,  229,  245 ;  John,  39,  40. 

Quays,  Battle  of,  99. 

Queen,  transport,  wreck  of,  157- 

Ragl.mmd,  John,  architect,  68,  190. 
Raleigh,   Sir  W.,  visits  Falmouth, 

7n,  12,32,228. 
RavenalJ,  Edward,  18, 
Read,  family  of,  224. 


Index. 


259 


Read,  Stephen,  61. 

Recorders,  248. 

Rectors  of  Falmouth,  245. 

Rector's  Rate,  The,  43/,  70,  227. 

Rescarrock,  7. 

Reynell,  family  of,  67,  lOi,  109. 

Reynolls,  John,  166. 

Robartes,  Sir  Richard,  Bart.,  31. 

Robinson,  General,  28. 

Rogers,  Bryan,  34,  51  ;    arms  of, 

52  ;   63,  66,  182,  183,  191,  229. 
Rogers,  Capt.,  presentation  sword, 

133,  202,  209. 
Rogers,  Capt.  Zachary,   115,   139, 

203. 
Rope-Walk,  I,  2,  3,  SO,  76. 
Roscrow,  88,  I4gn. 
Rosmeryn,  7. 
Rosehill,  150. 

Rouse,  Colonel  Anthony,  27. 
Rowe,  James,  quoted,  118. 
Russell,    family    of,     55,     184-5  > 
Russell's  wagons,  143. 
Russell,  Dennis,  34,  55,  66,  184. 
Russell,  William,  103,  186. 
Russell  Bowling  Green,  185. 
Russell  Training  Ship,  235,  236. 

Sandys,  family  of,  79,  194. 
Saulez,  Capt.,  190. 
Saverland,  Mr.,  139,  203. 
Schuyler,  Capt.  Adoniah,  1 16;  his 

cocked  hat,  142. 
Scot's  House,  32. 
Scudamore,  Frank  Ives,  217. 
Shipping  in  i8th  century,  88. 
Shuttleworth,  Professor,  135. 
Skinner,  Capt.,  208. 
Sheldrake,  packet,  1 36. 
Slanning,  Sir  Nicholas,  24,  34,  51, 

52. 
Sharpe,  Robert,  223. 
Slaves,  Redemption  of,  41,  42. 
Smithick    (Smithike,    Smithwick), 

31,  32,  180,  229. 
Smuggling,  75,  93,  142. 
Snoxell,   Edward,    187 ;    Penelope, 

187. 
St.  Columb  Major,  8. 
Stephens,  John,  of  St.  Ives,  I  in. 
Steele,  Nathaniel,  76, 108;  Lazurus, 

76. 
Swanpool,  2,  7  n ;    lead   mine   at, 

112  ;  174,  234  ;  tunnel,  225. 
Symons,  Wm.,  is8n.. 


Temple,  family  of,  224. 

Tilly,   Capt.   Charles,    141  ;    Capt. 

John,  163  n. 
Tilly,  Tobias  Harry,  163  n,  235. 
Tippet,  family  of,  162,  222  (see  also 

Vivian). 
Todd,  family  of,  1 15,  1 16,  125. 
Tonkin,  184. 
Town  Clerkship,  186. 
Townshend,  packet,  209. 
Trebah,  150. 
Trefusis,  family  of,  122  ;  Mr.,  lOO/; 

Samuel,  M.P.,  122. 
Treffry,  John,  li. 
Tregedna,  1 50. 
Tregelles,  family  of,  156,  167  ;    Dr. 

Samuel  Prideaux,  167. 
Tregelles'  Meeting-house,  40. 
Tregeagle,  John,  51. 
Tregenver,  16. 
Tregeneggy,  16. 
Trelawny,  Sir  Jonathan,  176. 
Tremayne,  Col.  Lewis,  27. 
Tresahar,  Thomas,  51  ;    family  of, 

73,  192. 
Tresidder,  Samuel,  79  ;  W.  Tolmie, 

174,  181,225. 
Trevenen,  Capt.  James,  125. 
Trevannion,  Richard,  28. 
Trevose,  51,  52. 

Trevethan,  14;  house,  141,  192. 
Trethewell,  barton  of,  115. 
Trewoon,  7. 

Trescobayes  (Trescobeas),  7,  16. 
Trollope,  Anthony,  216. 
Turner,  Dr.,  87. 

Upton,  Capt.  Richard,  51,  184. 
Usticke,  family  of,  78,  1S4,  193. 

Victoria,  Queen,  Visits  of,  152, 
234  ;  celebration  at  accession  of, 
225. 

Vigurs,  Dr.,  147. 

Vivian,  family  of,  162,  223. 

Vivian,  Rumbelow,  90,  105,  108. 

Vyvyan,  family  of,  21  n,  1 79. 

Vyvyan,  .Sir  Richard  Bart.,  7,  179. 

Wade,  W.  Cecil,  133,  187. 
Waller,  Sir  Hardres,  27. 
Walmsley,  Rev.   Edward,  39,  69  ; 

his  dog  and  the  chitterling,  69  ; 

makes  a  rate,  70  ;  death,  71;  18 1, 

245. 


26o 


Old  Falmouth. 


Wauchopc,  family  of,  125. 

Webber,  Tliomus,  238. 

Webber,  Philip.  186. 

Were,  family  of,  220. 

Wesley,  John,  visits  Falmouth,  40, 

230. 
West,    Frances,    18  ;      Mary    (n^e 

Eriscy),   18 ;    Colonel  John,   18, 

61,  69,  gi,  no. 
West,  William,  39. 
Wills.  Mrs.  William,  81. 
Williams,  Michael,  162,  223. 
Willyams,  family  of,  75,  108. 


Winchester,  Admiral,  53,  145- 
Windsor  Castle,  packet,   1 33,  202, 

209. 
Wodehouse,  family  of,  67,  103,  232, 

24.'5- 
Woilehouse,   Sir   John  (Lord  Kim- 

bcrley),  83,  90,  104,  l66. 
Wolcot,  Dr.,  161,  162. 
Woodlane,  2,  7,  32. 

Yescombe,  Capt,  116,  209. 
Yorke,  Mrs.,  137. 


CORRECTIONS   AND   ADDITIONS. 


CORRECTIONS. 

Page  20,  line  14.— (Charles  II).  "His  father"  should  be 
"his  royal  father." 

Page  51  line  3. — After  "  Alisse  "  add  "  Ivie." 

Page  66. —  The  Killigrew  Family.  The  Falmouth 
Killigrews  are  alone  referred  to  in  the  statement  that  they  were 
the  last  of  the  name  at  Arwenack,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  There  was,  of  course,  the  younger  branch, 
not  connected  with  the  history  of  the  place,  descended  from  John 
Killigrew,  first  captain  of  Pendennis  Castle.  Several  of  this 
branch  are  mentioned  in  Tregelles's  Worthies.  Mrs.  Boddam 
Castle  informs  me  that  her  mother's  great  uncle,  Thomas 
Guildford  Killigrew,  was  the  last  male  descendant  of  the 
Killigrews,  and  that  he  died  in  Bristol  in  1782.  Miss  Frances 
Killigrew,  living  in  1819,  was  the  last  who  bore  the  name. 

Page  157. — Wreck  of  the  Queen  transport.  Such  disasters 
were  rare.  In  1815,  300  vessels  safely  rode  out  a  great  storm  in 
Falmouth  Harbour. 

Page  159  line  2^] . — For  "a  station,"  read  "a  signal 
station." 

Page  163,  line  12. — Downing.  For  "  cousin  "  read  "  uncle." 
Family  records  have  been  preserved  to  some  extent.  The 
first  members  of  the  family  v»ho  settled  in  Falmouth  came 
from  Dublin.  {Arms).  Mr.  J.  C.  Downing's  mother  belonged 
to  the  old  Worcestershire  family  of  Cottrill,  or  Cotterell.  {Artns). 
He  was  named  Joseph  Chesterfield  after  his  great  uncle,  Joseph 
Downing,  who  was  killed  on  board  the  Chesterfield  packet, 
during  an  action.  His  aunt,  Ellen  Downing,  married  Major 
Duperrier,  whose  father  was  in  command  at  Pendennis  Castle, 
and  had  been  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  while  in  a 
cavalry  regiment.  Their  son  is  now  a  colonel  in  the  Royal 
Engineers. 

Page  191. — "1684.  The  East  end  of  ye  Chancell  built 
by  Mr.  Quarme,  Rector,  and  at  his  own  charge."  This  should 
have  preceded  the  note  dated  1686. 

261 


262  Old  Falmouth. 

Page  202.— KiRKNESS.  Captain  William  Kirkness  married 
a  lady  who  was  descended  from  the  family  of  Matthews, 
not  being  so  descended  himself. 

Page  213. — Falmouth  Post-office.  The  excellent 
building  now  standing,  was  provided  through  the  efforts  of 
Mr.  Newberry  Cox  and  several  gentlemen  who  contributed,  and 
was  afterwards  sold  to  the  Government,  which  thus  became 
possessed  of  a  valuable  property  at  half  the  usual  cost.  It  was  so 
constructed  as  to  admit  of  enlargement,  which  has  lately  been 
done.  Mr.  Cox  was  therefore  the  means  of  doing  an  important 
work  for  the  town. 

Page  240. — Mayors.  Mr.  James  Bull,  Junior,  was  also 
Mayor  of  Falmouth  in  18:6. 


ADDITIONS. 

Page  7. —  RoSMER\'N.  A  very  ancient  family  resided  in  a 
house  built  in  this  place.  "  License  to  celebrate  Divine  Service 
in  Domestick  Chapel  or  Oratory,"  granted  by  Edmund  Stafford, 
Bishop  of  Exeter,  (A.D.  1395-1419),  to  John  Rosmaren 
and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  in  their  Mansion  of  Rosemaren  (kodie 
Rosmerrin)  in  St.  Budock  "  (6th  May,  1404.  Vol.  i,  page  71,  of  the 
Registrum  Commune  or  Ge7ieral  Record  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Bishop.     Edited  by  Prebendary  Hingeston-Randolph,  M.A.,) 

Budock  Chancel.  "  The  Church,  roof  and  walls,  being 
ruinous,  it  was  dangerous  to  hold  service  therein.  Commission 
25th  June,  1399,  directed  to  Thomas  Noel  and  Richard  Olyver 
to  enquire  as  to  the  liability  for  repair  and  maintenance  and  the 
neglect  of  the  Provost  and  Canons  of  Glasney  and  John  Wryter, 
Vicar."  (Do.  Vol.  2,  page  225.)  Wryter,  Vicar  of  St.  Sithney,  ex- 
changed for  St.Gluvias,  27th  February,  1393,  with  Sir  Walter  Myn. 

Page  25. — Oral  Tradition  of  the  Siege.  Mr.  Winn, 
merchant  and  ship-owner  of  Falmouth,  early  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  who  died  at  the  age  of  84,  frequently  related  that 
his  grandmother  (who  lived  to  the  age  of  95),  told  him  that 
her  grandmother  informed  her  she  was  in  Pendennis  Castle 
during  the  siege  when  a  young  girl,  and  remembered  the 
garrison  being  reduced  to  such  extremities  that  they  ground 
barley  straw  mixed  with  flour  for  food.  The  young  girl's  name  is 
unknown.  Mr.  Winn's  third  son,  James  Michell  Winn, 
M.D.,  M.R.C.P.,  became  a  well-known  physician  at  St.  Austell, 


Corrections  and  Additions.  263 

Truro,  and  finally  in  London,  where  he  passed  most  of  his  life. 
He  was  the  author  of  various  medical  treatises  and  articles,  and 
wrote  a  good  deal  on  scientific  materialism.  He  died  in  London, 
at  the  age  of  92,  in  1900,  and  remembered  the  above  stor}'. 

Charlton.  Descendants  of  this  old  Quaker  family  who 
went  out  with  William  Penn,  the  founder  of  Philadelphia,  resided 
for  a  time  at  Falmouth.  Dr.  Winn  married  (i)  the  daughter  of 
Mrs.  Paynter,  nee  Charlton. 

Mr.  Robert  Charlton,  who  was  born  in  that  city, 
and  who  was  sent  by  his  parents  at  the  time  of  the  War 
of  Independence  to  the  West  Indies,  was  taken  prisoner 
on  the  voyage  by  an  English  privateer,  and  imprisoned  at 
Kergilliack,  near  Falmouth.  He  escaped,  and  went  off  on  a 
Packet,  was  discovered,  taken  prisoner  by  the  French,  imprisoned 
at  Ha\Te,  and  finally  set  at  liberty  abroad.  His  second  wife  was 
a  daughter  of  Major  Thomas  Moore,  who  fought  by  the  side  of 
Washington,  and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  English.  He  was 
drowned  near  St.  Anthony,  soon  after  bringing  his  daughter 
Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Paynter),  over  to  England.  His  daughter 
well  remembered  the  house  of  George  Washington,  and  often  saw 
him,  describing  him  as  a  "noble  looking  man."  Her  brother 
married  Miss  Bastian,  whose  cousin  was  the  father  of  the  well- 
known  Dr.  Charlton  Bastian,  of  London. 

Old  Falmouthians.  Deeble.  Mr.  Charles  Deeble,  who 
was  Mayor  of  Falmouth  for  three  successive  years  at  the  close  of 
the  last  centur)',  and  Mr-  J.  H.  Deeble.  are  descended  from  the 
Thomas  Deeble  (1737),  mentioned  on  page  50. 

Lake.  A  book  exists  printed  and  published  by  "  James 
Lake,"  of  Falmouth,  the  grandfather  of  Mr.  J.  H.  Lake,  and  of 
whom  an  excellent  portrait  is  possessed  by  the  family,  who  have 
been  engaged  in  business  in  the  town  for  a  hundred  years. 

Page  69. — Broad.  Mr.  William  Broad.  Senior,  the  founder 
of  the  Falmouth  firm,  was  previously  a  commander  in  the  Mercantile 
Marine,  and  a  member  of  the  old  Levant  and  Turkey  Company. 
He  relinquished  the  sea  with  the  highest  testimonials.  His  vessels, 
the  Pelican  and  the  Phcenix,  were  for  years  invariably  selected  as 
the  repeating  ships  in  all  convoys,  and  bore  the  pennant,  and 
his  crews  were  always  prohibited  from  impressment,  a  great 
privilege  in  those  days.  He  was  remarkable  for  great  kindness 
of  disposition  and  courage,  and  among  numerous  testimonials  he 
received  the  gold  medal  of  the  Royal  National  Institution  for  the 


264  Old  Falmouth. 

Preservation  of  Life  from  Shipwreck,  throuj^^h  rescuing  the 
passengers  and  crew  of  the  brig  Larch^  wrecked  at  Falmouth  in 
1828. 

Page  133. — Dyneley.  Captain  Birt  Dyneley  was  born  in 
1777,  and  was  descended  from  the  old  Yorkshire  family  of 
Dyneley,  which  dates  back  to  Adam  de  Dyneley,  temp. 
Edward  I.  Bramhope,  an  ancient  monastery,  was  purchased 
by  William  Dyneley  from  the  Earl  of  Cumberland,  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  VIII.  The  property  has  now  passed  out  of  the  posses- 
sion of  the  family.  Captain  Birt  Dyneley's  brother,  General 
Thomas  Dyneley,  R.H.A.,  was  an  officer  who  distinguished  him- 
self in  the  Peninsular  War,  and  received  the  Waterloo  Medal, 
and  the  Peninsular  Medal  with  five  clasps.  He  was  made  a  C.B., 
and  was  Aide-de-Camp  to  Queen  Victoria.  Captain  Dyneley 
married  Miss  Agnes  Cooper,  of  Falmouth.     (Arms.) 

NoRRiNGTON.  Captain  Charles  Harvey  Norrington,  R.N., 
was  one  of  those  later  Packet  Commanders  who  sacrificed  his 
life,  not  in  facing  an  enemy's  guns,  but  wind  and  weather.  The 
Alert  carried  important  mails,  and  Captain  Norrington  deter- 
mined to  put  out  in  the  teeth  of  a  gale.  He  was,  however,  com- 
pelled to  return,  and  received  a  fatal  injury  from  a  falling  mast 
in  his  damaged  Packet.  He  died  at  Haslar  Hospital  a  few  days 
after,  his  remains  being  interred  at  Budock,  as  he  had  for  many 
years  lived  at  Falmouth.  Captain  Norrington,  as  a  midshipman, 
was  at  the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  and  afterwards  saw  a  good  deal 
of  active  service.  He  was  descended  from  a  well-known  old 
Devon  family.     (Arms.) 


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